It’s time to move up to the higher end of High West’s offerings with the 2018 Yippee Ki-Yay. The 2018 bottling is a blend of MGP, Barton and High West distillate that is finished in vermouth and syrah barrels and then blended again. Also this year’s bottling is another example of High West’s website and back label being at odds with one another as the back label claims “we didn’t distill the whiskeys in this bottle” even though one of them is High West distillate. Seriously I love these guys but they need to get the label game shit in a pile. Anyways labels and shit piles aside let’s get to tasting!

Review

Age: 2 to 16 years

Abv: 92 Proof

Mashbill: A blend of 3 straight rye whiskies:

• 95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP
• 53% rye, 37% corn, 10% barley from Barton
• 80% Rye, 20% malted rye from High West Distillery

Color: A deep, red tinged amber

Price: $79.99

Neat

Nose: Delicate herbal notes share the nose with sweet dark fruits.

Taste: The syrah and vermouth barrel influence is very strong here with sweet, dark cherry notes with more traditional MGP rye herbal notes in the background

Finish: Long and sweet with more dark cherry and cinnamon notes

On a rock

Nose: The ice lightly subdues the dark cherry notes bringing the herbal notes forward and revealing some caramel notes in the background.

Taste: The herbal, dill note I associate with MGP rye is much more clear with the ice but the cherry notes are still strong and a sweet vanilla note is in the background

Finish: Short and herbal finish with just a hint of dark cherry

Conclusion

This is very nontraditional for a rye whiskey but I love it. The sweetness and dark cherry notes from the syrah and vermouth are very prominent. If you want a spicy rye definitely look elsewhere but if you have a sweet tooth and like syrah or zinfandel definitely check this out. It’s my favorite of the easy to find High West offerings and also makes for an excellent manhattan. If it’s too fruity for you neat adding a bit of ice or water unlocks the herbal notes and is my preferred way to drink it; High West’s website be damned.

Also 50 whiskey reviews; here’s to a whole lot more!

8 - an excellent bottle I’ll buy from time to time

Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

This is Forbes 2018 American Whiskey of the Year and I got caught up in the tater hype :) Thankfully I was able to get this at near retail. It’s a blend of bourbons from Tennessee(Dickel for sure), Indiana (99% sure it’s MGP) and somewhere in Kentucky(no idea). So let’s take a break from High West and review another American craft blender!

Review

Age: 15 years

Abv: 105.1 Proof

Color: A deep amber

Price: Expensive AF… (~$220)

Neat

Nose: Sweet with toasted marshmallow and chocolate notes, very reminiscent of well aged Dickel

Taste: Wow! Very complex flavor profile. The Dickel marshmallow and chocolate notes are strong but there are also some layered caramel and vanilla notes along with oak lingering in the background. The mouthfeel is smooth and thick, very nice. I’m not sure I’m qualified to pick out all the notes in this one :)

Finish: Long and warm with more marshmallow, chocolate and oak plus a bit of lingering baking spice

On a rock

Nose: Very muted by the ice with faint chocolate notes

Taste: Smoother and sweeter with more oak than neat. Brighter as well. Oddly for me, I prefer the mouthfeel neat.

Finish: A little shorter and the spice is quenched. All toasted marshmallow and oak.

Conclusion

This was excellent but man was it pricey and it’s hard to find. I wouldn’t hunt it given the number of other excellent, cheaper and more accessible bourbons but if I came across it at retail I’d probably pick up an extra bottle.

9 - a favorite I’d like to keep on my shelf

Poor - Overpriced, not worth the money

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

This is the first bottle in Glenfiddich’s Experimental series and my second review in said series. This no age statement scotch was finished for an unspecified amount of time in IPA casks. I first tried it during a Matt Nathanson concert at Stubbs BBQ where I assumed I was going to be stuck drinking Jack and was pleasantly surprised. After Fire and Cane it seemed like a good time to grab a bottle of the IPA cask and see how it stacks up!

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 86 Proof

Color: A pale gold

Price: $59.99

Neat

Nose: Strong, fresh apple notes with hints of pine and vanilla

Taste: Citrus and vanilla at the forefront with hints of pine in the background. A wonderful creamy mouthfeel

Finish: Short but with nice hoppy notes. This was the most IPA influenced part for me

On a rock

Nose: Sweet vanilla and fresh apple notes, the nose remains strong but smooth over the ice

Taste: The ice actually detracted from the mouthfeel which is rare for me but the citrus notes shine through with sweet vanilla in the background

Finish: Very similar to the neat finish, a nice fresh hoppy note dominates

Conclusion

I don’t drink beer anymore but I used to be a big IPA fan(yes I wear plaid button downs and have a beard) so for me this is an awesome way to drink whiskey and get a bit of those fresh hoppy pine notes I loved in IPAs. This is fresh and bright scotch that is a bit more of a summer drinker or something to sip with dinner than a dram to keep you warm in the winter. While this bottle probably isn’t for everyone, if you like Glenfiddich and IPAs I’d definitely encourage you to try it!

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

Today we’re continuing our journey through the High West line up with a 2017 American Prairie Bourbon. This is a blend of an unknown number of bourbons with 1 from MGP and the rest unknown(at least for the 2017 bottling).

Review

Age: 2-13 years

Abv: 92 Proof

Color: A deep gold

Price: $34.99

Neat

Nose: Very sweet with caramel and vanilla notes and just a touch of burn

Taste: Remains sweet with honey and vanilla notes, the mouthfeel is a little thin

Finish: The sweetness gives way to a middling length finish with warm spice notes

On a rock

Nose: Slightly subdued but still strong and sweet with the vanilla note taking the lead and no trace of a burn

Taste: Rich and sweet with more honey and vanilla and some grain notes coming through. The mouthfeel isn’t as improved as I’d hoped but is a little thicker

Finish: Short and sweet with more honey notes. The spice from the neat finish is gone.

Conclusion

Another solid whiskey from High West but this one is a little one note and doesn’t have anything particularly exciting going on. I still enjoyed drinking it and would order it at a bar in a pinch but if you are somewhere with High West definitely go with the Bourye or even better the Rendezvous Rye over this guy.

6 - a good whiskey I’m still happy to drink

Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

I’m getting festive with another High West review tonight. This time it’s their 2018 Bourye which is a blend of 3 MGP bourbons and 2 MGP ryes despite the back label saying it was sourced from multiple distilleries but hey who has time to make sure the label and the website are consistent? Definitely not craft distilleries, that’s for sure. Sass aside getting well aged MGP stock that you can just find on the shelf(at least where I am) is an interesting proposition even though a 5 recipe blend of rye and bourbon seems unusual. This is another old favorite of mine but unfortunately High West site only lists the recipes from 2015 on and doesn’t even mention the elusive Son of Bourye much less the early recipes but I’m hoping this new bottle stacks up! Also on a random personal note my new team at work is called ‘Jackalope’ which is the mythical creature featured prominently on the bottle so assuming I don’t kill this bottle during the week I’ll be offering it up at our Friday happy hour.

Review

Abv: 92 Proof

Age and Mashbill: Blend of five:

• 14yo - 95% rye, 5% barley malt
• 13yo - 95% rye, 5% barley malt
• 12yo - 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt
• 11yo - 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt
• 11yo - 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% barley malt

Color: A darker amber

Price: $79.99

Neat

Nose: Sweet and spicy with just a bit of citrus. Notes of brown sugar, clove and oranges in that order of prominence

Taste: A soft and slightly thin mouthfeel with strong caramel notes and hints of baking spice and cherries

Finish: Long, warm and sweet with brown sugar and just a touch of baking spice

On a rock

Nose: The spice is muted but the brown sugar and citrus are still very present

Taste: Again the spicy notes are lost for me as brown sugar notes give way to cherries. The ice definitely shores up the thinner mouthfeel from the neat pour.

Finish: Shortened but not overly with brown sugar sweetness and just a touch of the spice coming back in

Conclusion

This bottle is a perfect example of why I wish High West did higher proof bottlings. It’s got great notes but they aren’t as strong as I like, the mouthfeel is a bit thin neat and the notes don’t hold up well to ice. I believe that even bumping the proof up to something like 100(a High West BiB, we can dream right?) would be enough to overcome those weaknesses and push this into the 8-9 territory. Stacking this up against the rest of current High West family it comes in the middle of the pack ahead of the much cheaper Campfire, Double Rye and American Prairie Bourbon but behind Rendezvous Rye, Yippee Ki-Yay and A Midwinter Night’s Dram. That’s also my rough stack ranking of High West. All that said it’s a great bottle though it’s a bit hard to justify the price. I’d like to try my hand at blending another MGP sourced rye with Boone County 1833 to see if I can come up with my own Bourye competitor similar to adding a Lagavulin float to Four Roses to make my own campfire.

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Poor - Overpriced, not worth the money

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

I had a few folks recommend the Glenfiddich Fire and Cane to me and my favorite shop had it is stock so I figured it was time to give it a taste and write a little review. This is the 4th bottling in their new Experimental series and the second of the series that I have had(The IPA cask finish was different but delightful). It’s a combination of peated and non peated single malts aged in bourbon barrels. The idea is to give a bit of that smokiness that Islay scotches are known for to the smooth sweetness of a Speyside.

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 86 proof

Color: A lighter almost pale gold

Price: $47.99

Neat

Nose: Smoky with notes of citrus and floral honey

Taste: Much smokier than the nose with toffee notes and an almost buttery mouthfeel

Finish: Shorter than I would have liked but not too short with further smokiness and note of the citrus and floral honey from the nose

On a rock

Nose: Very muted compared to the neat nose with faint but sweet notes

Taste: The smokiness cuts through the ice and the mouthfeel is excellent but the sweet notes are mostly drowned out

Finish: Just a hint of toffee amidst the smokey finish

Conclusion

This was a tough one to rate for me. I enjoyed it neat but it didn’t stand up to ice so it’d primarily be a fall and winter whiskey for me down here in Texas. The smokiness was nice as was the sweetness but I was almost left wanting more of either flavor. That said the whiskies I’d prefer, Glenfiddich 18 if you like the smooth and sweet or Lagavulin 16 for the smoke, are both ~$100/bottle so this is hard to beat for scotch in its price range.

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

I’m gearing up for my annual holiday trip back to Park City, Utah sop it’s time to start reviewing some High West! Unfortunately the distillery opened when I was in high school so I missed the early years but my folks used to get me bottles for Christmas and birthdays and the like when I was in college. Those early bottles of Rendezvous Rye and A Mid Winter Night’s Dram were a big part of what brought me over to bourbon and rye from the scotch world. I picked up a little bottle of Rendezvous Rye Batch 16E12 at Oak Liquor Cabinet today so let’s get to it.

Review

Age: 6-16 years

Abv: 92 Proof

Color: Amber

Mashbill: Blend of two: 95% rye, 5% barley malt and 80% rye, 10% corn, and 10% barley malt

Price: $54.99

Neat

Nose: Delicious sweet vanilla and clove

Taste: Not as spicy as I expected and surprisingly sweet with caramel, vanilla and allspice notes

Finish: Long lingering rye spice and clove with just a hint of dill

On a rock

Nose:

Taste: The herbal and spicy notes are more present over ice with clove and dill notes taking the center stage and sweet vanilla in the background

Finish: Very similar to the neat finish with the same rye spice, clove and dill notes but also with a bit of vanilla.

Conclusion

This is a 2016 bottling so it’s old MGP and Barton blend. I haven’t had much of Barton’s rye lineup(other than High West) though I am at fan of their bourbons, especially the 1792 lineup. It still has that dill note I associate with MGP ryes but it is definitely toned down compared to bottlings that are 100% MGP which is an improvement imo. If you can get your hands on one of the older High West bottles definitely grab it. Also I’m a big fan of 375ml bottles so I can try more things so I’m very happy to see High West releasing a lot of their lineup in little bottles as well.

8 - an excellent bottle I’ll buy from time to time

Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

I went to an awesome Glenfiddich event at drink.well this weekend which helped reignite my love for the distillery. Glenfiddich is a Speyside distillery and is one of the most popular ones in the world so you probably already know about them :) Let’s get to the tasting notes!

Review

Age: 18 years

Abv: 86 proof

Color: A medium, burnished gold

Price: $104.99

Neat

Nose: Fruity, sweet and warm like a holiday apple pie

Taste: Rich notes of apple and cinnamon sugar with a hint of oak. A very nice mouthfeel

Finish: A long, warm and mildly spicy finish with oak and cinnamon notes

On a rock

Nose: Bright and sweet with pear and honey notes

Taste: Candied pear notes slowly fade into allspice and a touch of oak

Finish: Medium length with notes of allspice and oak

Conclusion

I love this whiskey. It’s got a great balance of sweet and spice that comes from the combo of bourbon barrel aged and sherry aged casks. I’m a fan of the versatility as it’s great neat when it’s cold outside with the holiday pie notes and also works well as a brighter summer whiskey on the rocks. The extra 6 proof also really up the mouthfeel game compared to the 15 expression. The main downside to this one is the price but I tend to stock up on Twin Liquors Dollar Days sale which alleviates that concern!

2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

Balcones is a craft distiller in Waco Texas(Sic Em Bears!) that actually distills their own juice and makes some great, if young, products. In a world of NDPs marketing as local products it’s great to get to try some actual local juice.

Review

Age: 2 years 4 months

Abv: 100 proof

Mashbill: 100% Blue Corn

Color: A deep reddish amber

Price: $51.99

Neat

Nose: Sweet, cinnamon and juicy citrus notes comes together almost like one of those orange cinnamon rolls with a touch of burn

Taste: More citrus and cinnamon notes and the sweetness from the nose becomes more of a caramel

Finish: Medium length with big cinnamon notes though it is a little hot for me

On a rock

Nose: Softer and sweet with caramel and citrus notes

Taste: Very similar to the neat taste with an improved mouthfeel all citrus, cinnamon and caramel

Finish: Slightly tamed from the neat finish with some more sweetness to balance the hot cinnamon

Conclusion

Is it a little young and a little hot? Sure. Is it a bit expensive for what is? Probably. Is it a great craft whiskey from a local distiller. Definitely. I’m a big fan of Balcones in general and can’t wait to try some of their newer releases and some more aged releases as they continue to mature.

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Fair - Worth the money, happy with my purchase

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.

Continuing the 1792 lineup with another one of their rarer expressions today is the Ridgemont Reserve. Older bottlings of this carried an 8 year age statement but as with some many lines these days age statements are going the way of the dodo. So let’s get to it!

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 93.7 proof (46.85 ABV)

Color: A dark copper, at least a shade darker that the rest of the 1792s thus far

Neat

Nose: Delicious rye spice and strong oak notes are prevalent with a bit of the caramel I’ve come to expect from most 1792s in the background and just a hint of something fruity

Taste: Strong vanilla and caramel notes with oak still present though more muted than the nose.The rye from the nose is suspiciously absent. The mouthfeel was nice but nothing special.

Finish: The rye comes back in this medium length well balanced finish

On a rock

Nose: The rye is muted but still present with the caramel taking its place while the oak holds steady

Taste: The vanilla and oak notes dominate the palate on ice though the caramel note is still fairly prominent

Finish: The rye is basically gone leaving a sort of generic sweet finish

1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies

Conclusion

Another good whiskey from 1792 though this one fell a little short for me compared to the 225th and the Full Proof especially since it held up to ice so poorly. I imagine a ‘Full Proof” variant of this would be excellent though. I really enjoyed the strong rye notes on the neat nose and am hoping the High Rye continues to deliver on this front.