High West Double Rye Barrel Select

Town of Crepe Myrtles (Angier, NC) 2022 pick Barrel No. 20107 Finished 1 year in ex-Malbec barrels 49.6% abv; 99.2 proof Open 2.5 years Nose - Bright red fruits, red hot cinnamon, anise, dill, white pepper, bitter oak, orange peel, lemon oil, vanilla, and medium ethanol. Palate - Muted, mellow mixed berries, cracked peppercorns, licorice, dill, lemon custard, and candied oranges. Finish is medium with dry, bitter oak, musty wine, anise, and light ethanol. This has a good nose but just dies on the palate. It smells like cask strength, and drinks like 90 proof. I don't get High West. I've tried 4 or 5 products from them, and haven't really loved any of them. People raved about these Double Rye! Barrel Selects finished in all kinds of barrels. I don't get it, other than the price. Just another gimmick to hide young rye in a wine barrel.

Limited Release, barrel # 18452. Peated Scotch finish. 100.4 proof. If you've had High West Campfire, this feels like campfire light. A mix between the sweet notes of double rye and the smokey peaty notes of a generic Islay scotch. The nose is light sweet rye notes with hints of mint; no peat is present. The palate and finish are where the peat comes forward. The taste is a light, sweet rye with a hint of vanilla followed by a peaty smokiness that is close to campfire smoke. The smoke lingers well after the taste and is a bit drying. Not bad if in the right mood like a fall evening.

Excellent - really quite exceptional. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more port barrel finished Double Rye!'s. Reminds me a lot of the single pour I had of A Midwinter Nights Dram. Barrel #: 21972 For: OHLQ Exclusive #4 Finish Time: 1 year, 1 month Barrel Type: Ruby Port Barrel 100.8 proof Tasting Notes (from OHLQ): Dried berries, sugar plum, rich and velvety texture.

Bought a bottle from Total Wine in Massachusetts from 2019. I’ve always been a huge fan of the normal double rye, it is what opened my eyes to the rye world and I still consider it one of the best bangs for your buck. This has a little less on the nose but packs considerably more flavor on the palate than the traditional.

The nose of this whiskey is different than its non-select sister. This smells of heavy oak, toffee, and butterscotch. The initial taste is silky with butterscotch. Phenomenal and much sweeter than I imagined. I prefer its sister, but this is excellent. Barrel 28888 Bottle 159 ABV: 49.4%

Barrel Pick for the Show Me State - Barrel 20108 Finish Time - 1 Year in Malbec barrel We’ve all had a finished rye. We’ve all loved a finished rye. This, as the youths say, is an absolute banger. Thats it. Those are my tasting notes.