High West American Prairie Bourbon

HIGH WEST SHOWDOWN High West American Prairie Bourbon High West Campfire High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram, Act 6 Scene 4 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve yet to review. High West is a Utah-based distiller that uses sourced whiskies in addition to their own distillate. To my knowledge, they don’t white-label any single sourced product; rather, they blend different whiskies. I became a fan when I acquired my first version of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, and I’ve since purchased a couple others. While each of these are quite different—one is a bourbon, one is a whiskey, and one is a blend of straight rye whiskies—their components are uniquely combined by the same producer. High West American Prairie Bourbon Color is a clear, bourbonesque Pantone 153. Nose evokes caramel, graham cracker, sawdust, and a light herbaceous note, along with cooling spearmint. Sweet palate with honey, candied orange, with an oaky spiciness that leads to a vanilla finish with good length. American Prairie Bourbon (now labeled “High West Bourbon”) uses sourced bourbon from both MGP and Kentucky. According to their website (the label directs you there for the specifics), the MGP mashbill is 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Another (non-MGP) is 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. Additionally, it notes that “Other whiskey components are undisclosed due to contractual reasons.” I’m fine with this. Contracts are contracts. But there’s no obfuscation; no smoke and mirrors (well, there is smoke in the Campfire whiskey, below). They take pains to be clear and forthright. And my bottle notes that 10% of the bottle’s after-tax profits go to the American Prairie Reserve. APB offers sweetness, spice, complexity, 92 proof points, and can be found for just over $30. There are few if any bourbons in the market offering that combination and value. Would I buy it again? Yes. Without hesitation. Pour it neat, turn on the TV to “Yellowstone,” and embrace your inner cowboy. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. 46% ABV. NAS. Batch 17J27. Non chill filtered. No added coloring. High West Campfire Whiskey Color is slightly lighter than the American Prairie Bourbon, and registers around Pantone 138. Nose shows smoke and honey, honey and smoke, some clove, and cool spearmint. Smoke and honey, honey and smoke: High West Campfire is the Islay of the Rockies. The unique combination of smoke and sweetness is unlike the sweet and smoke of some Ardbeg offerings, or Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition. It is uniquely High West, who is to be commended for blazing new whiskey trails and merging disparate distillates (and flavor profiles) with aplomb. Campfire retails for $80. There is nothing like it, anywhere. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. 46% ABV. Batch 17R15 High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Rye Whiskey, Act 6 Scene 4 This whiskey is the darkest of the bunch, with deep russet hues that show as Pantone 160. The nose greets you with copious brown sugar, mulled cider, baked apples, some oaky vanilla (in a non-cacophanous way), and a pleasantly unambiguous sweet rye note. The whiskey meets the tongue with a light oiliness, melding into classic rye spice, finishing long, with more vanilla. Superb. A Midwinter Night’s Dram has a few releases each year: “Act” refers to the year since the first release, and “Scene” refers to the iteration of that year’s release. According to the distiller, this bottling begins with the High West Renezvous Rye (which includes both High West and sourced distillate) and is finished in both tawny and ruby port barrels. “Words, words, words” said The Bard whom the title references. “Rye, rye, rye” says the humble writer of this paean to the Utopians of Utah. Or, not quite homonymically: “aye, aye, aye.” I bought this bottle some time ago; apparently now the current release retails for about $250, according to an Internet search, although High West’s website shows a retail price of $125. I think I paid around $90 a few years back (this particular bottle was in my inventory, unopened until tonight). Would I buy it again? Aye. Even if I had to sell something. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. 49.3% ABV. There’s much to like about High West Distillery. Their bottles are rustic, with air bubbles within the glass, uneven bottle floors, and dappled surfaces. The labels feature ragged-edged fonts. Their products feature Western-themed names, with the exception of A Midwinter Night’s Dram—and who am I to have a beef with channeling Shakespeare? Rugged with a touch of sophistication. And it’s not just the marketing. High West’s whiskies are non-chill filtered and have no added coloring. The labels are specific in mashbills; disclose sourcing details when they are contractually allowed; and spin stories that have no need for the literary suspension of disbelief. The point-size of the copious fine print crammed into the back labels suggests a friendly transparency and warm embrace. There is nothing to hide here. High West doesn’t sell any watered-down 80-proof whiskies, which suggests not only a commitment to quality, but the concomitant high proof is symbiotic with their rough Western vibe. They have a philanthropic ethos. All of this suggests a vision that is committed to quality—and even art, considering their consistent marketing themes. Horace Greely had it right: “Go West, young man!” N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Nose is maple, sugar, salt, fresh dough. Tangerine. Possibly some watermelon. Strawberry. Yeast. Vanilla. Overall vibe = fruit wine. Body is watermelon, walnuts, more sugar. Orange is there. Strawberry sticks around. Super sweet up front, nutty in the rear. Giggety. Finish is sawdust, bit of cinnamon. Bubble gum. Mint. Bit of the tangerine comes back. There is a temptation when drinking whiskies that have hints of youth to pound them down. This was my intent with this bottle, and I’m glad I gave it the nerd treatment. This was shockingly good, and I don’t know why I undervalued it to date. I think I had mentally labeled High West as a rye brand, and although their ryes are good, I think this beats any of their main-line ryes. To me, this is right up there with Four Roses and 1792 as an affordable, delicious lower shelf bourbon (let’s say: shelf 2 out of 5). Bonus fun fact: this is apparently no longer being bottled as “American Prairie Bourbon” as of January 2023 (if not earlier). The new product, “High West Bourbon” is allegedly the same bourbon with a new label, so of course I bought one and did a side by side. Y’all know how I feel about science. For my bottles, the High West Bourbon is a noticeably inferior product. I would describe it as a flatter, less flavorful version of my American Prairie. However: AP is described as a blend of bourbons up to 13 years in age. A lot can happen in 13 years. I would be willing to accept that a very talented group of whiskey blenders used the same methodology on *similar* stocks of bourbon for both of these blends with the intent of making the same product. The deviation in the two bottles is within the margin of error of reasonable deviation within a product line. I’ve had two different bottles of Rock Hill Farms that were more dissimilar than these two. I buy that these two bourbons are the same product, and I hope that some of the new High West Bourbon blends will be as tasty as this 375 mL American Prairie.

High West American Prarie Bourbon November 2022 $23.99 for 750ml 2 oz neat in a Glencairn Color: straw Nose: Very faint but upon taking a deep whiff, prominent brown sugar, caramel, vanilla with notes of apple and dried fruit. Palate: Buttered cinnamon raisin toast. Oak, caramel, and toffee reside on the finish. Light but slightly oily mouthfeel. Overall: This is obviously a very young bourbon and with an age statement of "at least 2 years" it shows. Light color, faint nose, overall mild flavors that are not harsh but not necessarily well developed or complex. This is, however, a pretty enjoyable bourbon for my tastes at such a cheap price. Given a greater intensity of these flavors it would be really solid. Has a bit of a ethanol bite on the finish due to the above and its 92 proof point. I'm relatively new to bourbon but I've been able to sample 20 or so and this is my first review so I may be being generous or harsh but this is yet to be seen. Overall: 6.5/10 Value: 8.5/10

Style - Norlan, Neat Nose - Sweet notes (caramel apple?) trampled on by the smell of a high proof rubbing alcohol. Taste - Cinnamon and clove-like spice with a good sting throughout. Finish - Wouldn't call it the smoothest bourbon I've had, but solid. Score - 3.25 Scoring Legend 5.0 - Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky. 4.5 - Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible). 4.0 - Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here. 3.5 - Good, quite enjoyable to drink. 3.0 - Solid, wouldn't go out of my way to get it. 2.5 - Meh, still drinkable. Under 2.5 - If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.

This one took a little while to grow on me, but after some time I have found this to be a very pleasant whiskey. It isn’t as conplex as a lot of burbons, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is a straight-shooter, sweet, vanilla, and oaky with a nice strong bite to it. Has a very light caramel note consistant with most burbons. Contrary to what some would say, I think this makes an excelent fall mixer, with flavors like red apple and pumpkin pairing very well!

This pleasantly Surprised me. It was offered at a friend’s home and I found it very enjoyable. I read the “Distiller” blend description and find the standard bourbon nose and tastes. Rich vanilla & caramel scents, cinnamon & spice flavors, and a 92 proof point that doesn’t overwhelm. It’s good neat and tastes much different on a big rock. Readily available here in PA and I find it to be a value at its mid-$30s price point so I’ve added it to my rotation. Cheers!