High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Review

Since its inception, High West Distillery has been punching well above its weight. The distillery skyrocketed to success (but with a limited fuel supply). High West’s American Prairie Bourbon, Double Rye, and Rendezvous Rye were blends that boasted stock from MGP, Barton, and other undisclosed distilleries. 

Having struck liquid gold, the High West leaned into these whiskies, blending them into releases for years. Then the good stuff started to run out. What do you do when your source of 16 year old rye whiskey dries up? 

In this case, High West began blending its own distillate. So how would a special and limited release like A Midwinter Night’s Dram fare with an evolving blending profile?

High West Distillery

David Perkins must have received inspiration from on high when he got the idea to build a distillery, of all places, in Utah. Founded by Brigham Young-led Mormon pioneers, Utah hadn’t hosted a legal distillery since before Prohibition. (Although Young himself ran a whiskey distillery in the 1860s)

Upon visiting the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Perkin’s was hooked by the art and science of whisky distillation. As a biochemist, he put a thoughtful plan into action. Inspired by the Old West, he moved his family to Park City, Utah to become a different type of star than those blanketing the town during the Sundance Film Festival.

As the older blending stock was used up, the distillery was in a bit of a predicament. Around the same time, the company was purchased by Constellation Brands (160$ million) and added a flagship distillery in Wanship, Utah. 

It was time to ramp up the production of High West’s rye whiskey, which they had been distilling since 2007.

High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram

Inspired by the Bard, High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram has captivated rye lovers since its first release. Each release is blended straight rye (essentially Rendezvous) finished in French oak and port barrels. 

Midwinter quickly gained a reputation as a warming, rich rye whiskey perfect for the chill of winter—unless you were in Utah, it was hard to get your hands on a bottle! 

There are 10 Acts (releases) of A Midwinter Night’s Dram. Around Act 5 or 6, the distillery ran out of that lovely 16 year old Barton Rye that was a critical component to Rendevous Rye and other bottlings.

More recent bottlings are now a blend of MGP and High West-distilled rye. The producer's whiskey is built on a mash bill of 80% rye and 20% malted rye. 

High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram - The Review

The bottle being reviewed is the Act 10 Scene 4 vintage of A Midwinter Night’s Dram. This High West American rye finds its home in a timeless bottle fit for a spaghetti western saloon.

Constantly evolving, Act 10 is a blend of MGP (95% rye, 5% malted barely) and High West distillate (805 rey, 20% malted rye). This sample was left to sit for 10 minutes to breathe before tasting. 

Midwinter is ruby in color and highly suggestive of the rich flavors soon to follow. It is NAS, non-chill filtered, and weighs in at 98.6% proof.

Aroma

Initially, notes of oaky vanilla leap out of the glass. After a short period, citrus, and red fruit, are layered with baking spices and burnt brown sugar. The younger house-distilled rye carries cinnamon, lime/orange citrus, and star anise notes you won’t find in the earlier Barton-blended acts.

After digging through sedimented complexity, fortified wine, and earthiness make their presence known. 

Palate

Upon taking a first sip, this rye is surprisingly fruit-forward. It flirts with the idea of juiciness without crossing that bridge fully. Plum, cherry, and cranberry characters evolve into sherry, and port notes are quickly balanced by the grain bill—moderately aged (4-7 years) rye joins the party with a boldness of spice and a syrupy mouthfeel. 

Soon it’s like chewing on mint leaves, cinnamon sticks, and black licorice. It’s not quite absinthe, but you’re well aware that this whisky is nearly 100 proof! 

Finish

As the joy rye-de (see what we did there?) finishes, crispy herbs, ethanol, and white vinous notes make a good impression of dry vermouth. Unlike the early vintages, the luxurious oily character is less present here. However, white pepper and ginger linger a moment while the high alcohol washes everything down. 

Score 87/100

It’s Winter All Year Long

High West isn’t kidding around. A Midwinter Night’s Dram demands to be sipped in cold weather while warming up next to a fireplace. But even if you live somewhere warm, this luxurious copper rye will transport you to a cabin in the mountains during winter or the fall.