For my last day in Utah I headed out to High West in Wanship for their Refectory brunch. I knew that they often hold back some of their limited release bottles for the bar there and was hoping to be able to taste their most recent Double Rye! finished in MWND barrels but when I asked the server which Barrel Select whiskies they had and she said 3 I was optimistic. She came back and said “American Prairie Bourbon finished in Manhattan barrels, Double Rye! finished in MWND barrels and Rendezvous…” and I knew the rest. For my second pour I asked if I could grab a picture of the bottle and for the third pour I wrote up the tasting notes :)
This release is barrel 1713 and bottle 158 of 198 bottles.
Review
Age: 6-16 years plus 4 years and 7 months finishing in a Port cask
Abv: 106.9 proof
Color: A deep amber
Price: $14 for 1.5oz
Neat
Nose: Luscious dark cherry notes with just a hint of baking spice
Taste: More dark cherries and baking spice from the nose and some subtler herbal and oak notes. Very rich mouthfeel. Sweet without being cloying and spicy without burning.
Finish: A long, lingering finish with warm rye spice, dark cherry and oak notes
Conclusion
This was amazing. It was a combination of the best parts of a good rye whiskey and a good Port. Right up there with the Pappy Van Winkle 15 year and BCS 15 year for my favorite whiskey this year and my first 10/10 rating. I still wish I’d been able to snag a bottle but having 3 pours in the High West Refectory was an excellent consolation prize.
Oh and the brunch was good too.
4 Stars - Extraordinary whiskey: An all time favorite
Scale
You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.