High West A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 7 (All Scenes)

A Friday night finds me free. A moment to formally take some tasting notes. A Midwinter’s Night Dram Act 7 Scene 4. This was opened for about a month and taking this in over time. N: Letting this open for some time and you are rewarded. Immediate flashbacks to late autumn evenings. Baking spices float while in a warm and in a cozy house in a crisp night. Oak, cinnamon and nutmeg mixed with vanilla, dark caramel and brown sugar. A touch of maple syrup and milk chocolate. A mix of cream soda and root beer also is detectable or maybe similar to the combined previous aromas. P: When drawn onto the palate, you are immediately introduced to wood spices and brown sugar sweetness. Ground cinnamon, allspice, ground black pepper with Hints of grape jam and Gala apples. This is delivered in a surprisingly thin body. W: A splash of water (or ice), as I have experienced with AMWND, water improves the flavor. Rounds it out and, in this dram bringing forth the sweetness. It unfortunately takes an already thin body and thins it out some more. F: The finish is woody, bitter. Medium in length. As it fades, the sweeter side makes an appearance and leaves one with a pleasant, warm satisfaction. O: After Act 4, the subsequent releases were what I would qualify as adequate where the predecessors were brilliant. Act 7, the aromas are quite delightful; the palate is a diluted version of the nose and the finish fine, but I was expecting or wanting a bit more length and flavor in the finish. Act 7 is a step is the positive direction towards the excellence of Act 2 and/or Act 3. [$99][90/100][Tasted: 3/8/24]

Exquisite. I’ve wanted to find this bottle for 2 years, and finally stumbled upon one while visiting family in upstate New York. And man, I’m so happy I did. This didn’t disappoint and is one of the most unique whiskies I’ve had to date. Nose: Gobs of sweetness, specifically brown sugar and maple syrup. Undertone of dark cherries, vanilla and an oakiness. It’s gentle yet concentrated, a beautiful blend of sweet. Taste: Caramel covered apples up front, a spike of cinnamon and an explosion of berries. Finish: This is where it pushes itself into elite territory for me. The wine-cask finish (port) shows up and just sticks with you along with this lingering spiciness that reminders me of Mexican Hot Chocolate (cocoa with cinnamon and cayenne pepper, essentially). It rounds into this buttery smooth finish. Overall: 4.75 Value: It’s about $100 depending on where you are (I’ve seen some get it for less, I’ve seen it listed at $160 online). To me, if you’re looking for something special without paying a huge markup, this is worth it. I’d pay $100 again and feel fine with it.

This is a very interesting rye. Dark fruits and roasted nuts along with mint and other herbal and floral notes. Palate is very smooth and taste confirms the nose. Round and medium finish. Definitely understand why some say it tastes like Christmas... I can see why this is a great rye, I'm just not a huge fan of rye. I'm giving it a 3.5 given it's complexity. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

Act 7 Scene 1. High West sourced (MGPI) Rendezvous Rye whiskey blend, finished in French oak port barrels. 49.3 ABV. Beautiful deep auburn color. Vanilla and stone fruit on the nose. Warm cereal grain, plum, brown sugar and spices, fading into the grassy spiciness of rye, with a long lingering sweetness. Round and oily. Oak and vanilla and rye are all there, but wrapped in this fruit essence that smooths and gives it tremendous depth. A wonderful winter dram, a 5 star, but... High West takes a premium markup on rye it sources, blends, (in this case) rebarrels, and bottles. Marketing. I live in UT and love the product, except for the pricing. Their own whiskey... not so great. As more distilleries start making their own superior whiskeys, HW is going to be pulled down by their pricing and lack of distilling innovation and excellence. Take note.

The nose is a wonderful mixture of oak and notes of wine, with molasses sweetness backing it up. Smooth notes of vanilla and brown sugar follow, with floral rye spice holding everything together. The palate starts off with floral rye spice before quickly shifting into wine sweetness. There is a bit of a chew that brings out black pepper that quickly subsides. This is a very smooth drink, definitely leaning into wine territory. The mix of rye and wine is always a winner, offering beautiful simplicity with distinct flavors. The finish is medium long and a bit spicy, with lingering notes of oak and wine sweetness. This is dangerously easy to drink and makes for a great dessert.

Wanted to love this more based on the rye, port barreling, and popularity. Truth is I love my spirits neat and when I sipped this the burn dominated the experience a bit. After a few more I got the rye spice, but little to no port. Vanilla and subtle red fruit emerged too. Good news for ice fans though! I added a block and the ethanol burn on the nose and palate was greatly reduced. This granted the consumer an opportunity to appreciate the complexities within unhindered. Lovely long finish too.