High West A Midwinter Night's Dram

To finish up my High West series, I have three samples of their A Midwinter Nights Dram from three different acts. First up is Act 5 Scene 6 that @Scott_E was very generous to provide. The nose starts with a mix of powdered sugar coated balsamic strawberries, cola and dusty oak then a mild pipe tobacco smoke and chocolate covered cherries followed by star anise spiced baked pears that transitions to dill, spearmint and cloves with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy and lightly sweetened red berries with a mild tangy sourness that quickly veers towards a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to pipe tobacco, leather and mocha followed by star anise spiced baked pears that transitions to cloves, dill, and light spearmint with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a mild rye and pepper spice, dark chocolate covered cherries, espresso, ginger, dill and charred pine cones. A very delicious rye that the port finish manages to enhance those base rye notes with sweet and sour red berries, but the taste and finish have a higher spice than I prefer. Final score: 3.75 Next up is Act 8 Scene 1 that @ctbeck11 was very generous to provide. The nose starts with a mix of powdered sugar covered brandy soaked cherries, cola and light pipe smoke then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and freeze dried strawberries followed by cinnamon apple pie and orange zest that transitions to dill, cloves and fresh picked wintergreen leaves with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with brandy soaked cherries that quickly veers towards a moderate bitter spice that slowly fades to pipe tobacco, leather and chocolate covered hazelnuts followed by sour apple and orange zest that transitions to dill, ginger, cloves and charred pine cones with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a moderate rye and pepper spice, brandy soaked cherries, cocoa nibs, ginger, dill and burnt pine cone ash. This one isn't as refined as the Act 5 Scene 6 and has flavors of brandy soaked fruits that brings about more sour and bitter flavors along with higher ashy notes. It's still a very tasty rye with those port flavors, but fails to keep up with the Act 5 Scene 6. Final score: 3.5 Last up is Act 9 Scene 4 that @soonershrink was very generous to provide. The nose starts with soft and lightly sweetened raspberries, Angel food cake and cola then milk chocolate covered raisins, toasted hazelnuts and light floral notes followed by baked pears and maraschino cherries that transitions to dill, spearmint and lightly toasted pumpernickel bread with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with soft and creamy red berries and cola that then veers into a mild bitter spice that fades to a mild pipe tobacco smoke and cherries jubilee followed by chocolate covered toasted marshmallow, baked pears and orange zest that transitions to cloves, ginger, dill, spearmint and lightly toasted pumpernickel bread with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a mild pepper spice, dark chocolate covered cherries, toasted marshmallow, light florals, cloves and charred pumpernickel bread. Side by side with the other acts, this one comes out the victor with a better balance of those sweet red fruits and rye flavors with some light floral notes that I didn't detect in the other acts that still has a bitter spice on the taste and finish, but is much more restrained allowing for more flavors to come through. Final score: 4.0 Conclusion: This was a lot of fun to side by side and rate 3 different batches of MWND and each one was a tasty rye but batch variation is clearly a factor on how they turn out. If I was able to find one of these at $100, I'd likely buy a bottle, but I'd easily pass on any price above that. Overall score for all: 3.75

🗻 High West ‘A Midwinter Night’s Dram’ Act 12 Scene 8 🎬 @ 98.6 📖 “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind—and therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act I, Scene I And here we are, trading the bard’s woodland fairies for high-elevation alchemy, with master distiller Brendan Coyle’s theatrical creation: A Midwinter Night’s Dram – Act 12, Scene 8. What does that mean? Don’t worry, I’ve got your backstage pass. This is one of approximately 19,000 bottles released in this annually by the brilliant minds at High West Distillery, nestled in Park City, Utah. This limited engagement begins with High West’s flagship Rendezvous Rye, a duet of straight ryes:    •   One from the rye royalty at MGP in Indiana (95% rye, 5% malted barley)    •   The other crafted right at High West (80% rye, 20% malted barley) This blend is then lovingly finished in Ruby and Tawny Port casks, giving the whiskey its rich complexity. No age statement here—just mystery and mastery. Bottled at 49.3% ABV (98.6 proof), this dram doesn’t whisper, it recites. I’m sipping this neat, out of a Glencairn glass, next to a bubbling creek at the Top of Georgia Airstream Park. MSRP runs around $150, which is exactly what I paid—and honestly, the performance is worth just about every penny, especially if it’s not yout own money 🎭 Tasting Notes:    •   Nose: A bouquet of dark berries, vanilla, and a tease of plum dancing with rye in the wings.    •   Palate: Raisins, holiday spice (think allspice and cardamom), and a rich rye character take center stage.    •   Finish: A curtain call of graham cracker, cherry, and a cameo from chocolate tannins. Medium in length, but memorable—like a good soliloquy. Behind the Scenes: High West is Utah’s first legally licensed distillery since Prohibition. Everything begins in a 250-gallon copper still, and what emerges is small-batch poetry in a bottle. Carefully barrel-aged and bottled with precision, this dram is as theatrical as its name implies. So, if you haven’t already—like, comment, and subscribe! Show me some love, we’re this close to hitting 100 subscribers, and you know what that means… free bottle giveaway coming soon! 🎁🥃 Until next time, may your pours be poetic and your nights forever midwinter. ❄️ Belmont Björn - BBBB - ⸻ Full Video Review: BOTTLE 021: 🗻 High West ‘A Midwinter Night’s Dram’ Act 12 Scene 8 🎬 @ 98.6 📖 https://youtu.be/2KkXG5eBGig YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@belmontbjornsbourbonbanter?si=3SL_g71UKHfR-NpP #1000subscriber #whiskytubefamily #friends #friends bourbonwhiskey #bourbon #alcohol #whiskey #whisky #whiskyforthepeople #whiskeyfun #1000subscribers #ticktock #ticktok #kentuckybourbon #kentuckybourbontrail #belmont #airstream #shakespeare #highwest #highwestdistillery #parkcityutah #utah

At first appearance MWND seems to have a golden amber color. Similar to the color of the Jurassic Park Dino DNA mosquito-cain. The general aroma consists of spice, sweet butter cream (think morning breakfast griddle) with a very light hint of alcohol. After my first taste clear hints of clove, butter, leather and rich dark fruit. However, as you let the flavors dance it would seem that the finish just simply isn’t as long as one would like, great dram just wish it would last longer on the tongue.

This particular bottle was act 9 scene 4. On the nose it's lovely. It reminds me of a very sweet communion or homemade wine with hints of apricot. On the palate it's thick and viscous. The port finish really comes through and you get the apricot note that you first sensed on the nose. The finish is long and building where you're reminded you're drinking a rye, but it's tempered with the sweetness. Overall I thought this was phenomenal.

Nose: ark berries, vanilla, plum, rye (obviously), zero burn Palate: Thin mouthfeel, briefly coats the mouth then immediately dissipates; toasted spices (but no cinnamon), beautifully balanced rye, very little heat, stone fruit, cacao nibs Finish: Dry, lingers at the top of the throat, dark notes remain but give way to lighter red and black berry notes

N- quickly know its a finished whiskey- not what im looking for F- no doubt its a finished rye- not the profile i enjoy- others love it- I would not pay for this whiskey- just dont mike the flavor / nose - appreciate what they do- enjoy most of the high west whskey- enjoyed the early versions of MW-