“Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.”
-William Shakespeare
High West Distillery continues to roll out their once-per-year port-finished Rendezvous Rye series, A Midwinter Night's Dram. The name, a play on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, was likely born out of a stroke of genius, mid-marketing meeting, by a team searching for a name not fraught with copyright infringement. What better place to look than 16th-century England?
This release has been long-lauded by whiskey enthusiasts who have cherished the blend of MGP and High West rye. Some have speculated the ratios are tipping more towards High West distillate these days, something I'd probably agree with as the flavor profile has definitely changed over time. Another feasible possibility is that access to similar stocks that were used in previous years has been cut off, which is supported by what David Thomas Tao reported on with Kentucky whiskey being a component of some former acts. As production numbers have soared into the ~190,000 bottle range annually, I've tried to warn folks that this isn't the small production, limited release bottle it once was. But old traditions die hard, and no other bottle is more synonymous with the cold winter season than A Midwinter Night's Dram.
We've still got plenty of cold weather to power through here in New England, so I found myself reaching for a pour of something cozy this evening. It just so happened to be a bottle I haven't written about yet, so I sat down in order to deliver you a long-overdue review. This is a bottle I've shared around quite a bit since scooping it up at the end of 2024, crowdsourcing opinions that have ranged wildly from reserved delight all the way to pure terror. After tasting it many times, I find myself settling somewhere in the middle with this act. A well-formulated opinion surely beats a rushed one, so I'm proud to be finally ready to share my thoughts on this one. Let's dive in.
Company on Label: High West Distillery
Whiskey Type: A blend of straight rye whiskeys
Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed proportions of the Rendezvous rye mash bill comprised of 95% rye, 5% malted barley distilled by MGP and 80% rye, 20% malted rye distilled by High West
Proof: 98.6°
Age: NAS
MSRP: $149.99
Further identification: This is the 2024 release, the 12th act, bottled on the 4th day of the run according to the scene on the front label, which was first made available in October of 2024
Nose: Lifting the glass to my nose, I find sticky red raisin, pear, plum, and fig—immediately suggesting a heavy port influence. Another long inhale produces an array of typical holiday spices: think allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. Vinegar and raspberry jam follow in a halfway decent evolution. Overall, it's a little dry in the nose, but I am happy to find more rye character than was present on Act 11, something I had a really strong opposition to in that review. Deep inhales begin to get thin as the enjoyable fruit and spice give way to a can of dried-up paint.
After a sip, the nose thins to a simple medley of fig and allspice. Lemon frosting and cranberry ginger ale swing in late in the glass. My empty glencairn smells of synthetic leather, a kiss of smoke, and plain yogurt.
Palate: On first taste, I find a robust rye first and foremost. Cardamom, dill, mint, allspice, and cumin lead the way on a messy conglomeration of flavor. I'm simultaneously glad to find a rye at the heart of this release but also a bit disappointed in its quality. It's a funky sip, perhaps attributable to the malted rye component in the mash bill, which is always an interesting distillation choice to see. The linger carries dominant flavors of moist raisin and raspberry jam. Another sip is once again spice-forward rye character that hugs you at every step of the way. Boozy Italian cherries and a kiss of aperol can be found on the midpalate before the more drying flavors of graham cracker and ginger root powder swing through to sweep away the enjoyment. My last taste is a soft splash of grenadine, clashed by dry clove, and finished with a light dusting of cacao powder.
TL;DR: While a clear step up from Act 11, this still isn't anything all that special
Rating: 3/5
I postulated against calling this a comeback in my title, but really—don't call this a comeback. It's a passable whiskey at best, but for most whiskey enthusiasts and cost-conscious drinkers, this is likely to be a pass this year. If you don't know any better about what great rye whiskey tastes like, you just might enjoy this, but for those of us cursed with the awareness of the full range of the quality scale, this surely doesn't hang in the broader whiskey landscape.
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