High West A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 10 (All Scenes)

Nose - Cherries, cloves, cinnamon, gentle warm rye bread sweetness, hint of vanilla, caramel, mint chocolate Taste - Sweet raisins, plums, bitter dark chocolate, cinnamon spice, burnt sugar bitterness, vanilla, woody mint stems, bitter crushed spices Finish - Spicy sweet raisins, bitter wood/leather notes, crushed cloves Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - So the nose on this one is probably the best part and the initial hit on the palate is nice. The nose was very pleasant with notes of sweet red cherry (like that in cough syrup) and just a general winter vibe. I don't feel as if this one is overly sweet, but I do feel as if this one was might have had some components that were a bit overoaked. I don't normally mind bitter tastes, but this one for some reason felt as if it was a bit on the bitter side with loads of oak, woody mint stems, and bittersweet crushed spices. This sadly lingered over to the finish where you get this light sweetness, but it feels dominated by the bitterness. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

The nose starts off with a great mix of wine sweetness and charred oak before quickly smoothing out. There is some gentle rye spice balanced out by soft touches of vanilla and bread. Baking spices are faintly in the background, altogether coming across as entirely delightful. The palate is rich and somewhat chewy, filling the mouth with a great balance of rye spice and wine sweetness. Notes of dark chocolate, cooked brown sugar and cinnamon come out to also a great balance. In total, this is quite delicious and the beautiful thing about a well finished rye, is how simple they can be yet full of the key flavors. This doesn't take much analyzing, its just flat out good. The finish is medium long and chewy, with rye spice and keeps the corners of the mouth tingling while oak and wine sweetness fade a little too quick. This is scene 3 and is very nice to drink, but held back by the experience of each sip being short lived.

This is by far High West's best work. Their other entries can be hit or miss even though i enjoyed the regular bourbon and rye. My first experience with this series happened about 3-4 years back. I remember not being able to put it down some nights. Unfortunately, exclusive bottles such as these are hard to come by so I didn't see another again till the beginning of this year. I purchased it immediately! I must say this may be one of the best iterations of rye whiskey I've tried. It contained a unique aroma that can be described as cinnamon sticks in cola. The rye spice hits hard on the palate with a lingering finish containing dried fruits, said cinnamon, and the slightest hints of vanilla and leather. All this tied together with a warming hug makes it the perfect choice on a cold night. I am most certainly saving the rest of the bottle for the upcoming change in seasons. Unless I score another bottle.

T8ke score 7.7 Scene 3. Big finished influence - very wine-like overall. Nose has a mineral tinge with a light sherry-plum-white grape sweetness in the drivers seat. Slight aged oak behind it all. Palate is mineral up front with a dark / dried fruit sweetness quickly taking over. White grape / fig / raisin. Mineral around the edges continues through, finish is medium-long with a good bright punch at first that rolls out with all the sweet fruit notes. Great whiskey for a white wine drinker who wants to change it up. Price is tough, but somewhat justifiable at msrp

The nose is sweet, herbal, and minty as you'd expect from MGP's 95/5. It's fairly subdued though. The palate is a garbled mess and the finish is nearly nonexistent. It's not bad, but there's not much going on here and it is entirely forgettable. Take into account the pedigree of Acts 1-3 and the price, this is a spectacular disappointment. It was a bottle split with friends who have been buying since Act 1 and none of us are interested in getting stuck with a full bottle anymore.

Midwinter Night's Dram Act 10 scene 2 Glass: Tasting glass, at a bar. Color: Medium-dark amber. Nose: Raisin, fig, cherry. Palate: Clove, oak, and leather. Less spicy than expected. Finish: Medium length, medium heat. Splash: Mutes most of the flavor notes. Overall: 6/10 - I had high hopes for this pour, and the nose was promising, but from there it was all downhill. For the price I paid it would be at least a 7, but factoring in the MSRP, it's only a 6.