High West High Country American Single Malt (2021 Release)

Not sure where all the low scores are coming from for this American Single Malt that's put out by High West? Opened this last night while i was feeling pretty toasty already and couldn't believe how delicious this smelled. The scent is intoxicating maltiness that gives the vibe of a malty cereal with some fruitiness added in. Oh my love the smell!! The mouthfeel is very soft and really coats my mouth with similar notes that the scent gives off. I swished this one around for awhile on each sip to really enjoy what this single malt has to offer. Finally in the end it goes down easy. The proof really gives this a chance to taste the flavors rather than burn your tongue off like the high proof bourbons and ryes do. Overall if you enjoy American single malts this is a nice one to have a bottle of. The price to me is a bit high for what it is but it's not too far out of line being that it's not a year round bottle on the shelf. If you like Stranahan's then give this one a shot. I was really wishing after i opened it that i still had some of my last stranahan store pic lying around. Oh well guess i need to go find another to compare. 10/14/22

What a find today! Only one bottle on the shelf at TW camelback. It’s taken me forever to get a hold of this. Unlike the previous releases, this particular High Country is finished in Sherry casks and is NOT peated. The nose is literally all cornbread up front. Holy cow! Caramel and a nuttiness is also present but not like an Olo Sherry nuttiness. Maple syrup and a honey like sweetness is also there with oak creeping up in the back. The finish is more of the same awesomeness! I think this is easily worth the price and dessert in a glass. I take this over MWND. 92/100. My only minor gripe would be the Sherry casks didn’t have that much of an impact but maybe they used them briefly or a different type I’m not totally used to.

Nose: sharp cut grass and raisin with chocolate and light tobacco. Taste: sharp hay with figs, chocolate and dense caramel. First bit of water makes the nose syrupy and dense with deep stewed figs and caramel while adding a malty honey note. Taste also becomes thicker and oily with a light hidden floral and citrus note. Next bit of water dampens down the hay notes even more. Adds a strong peachy finish. And a bit of a gingerbread note. Still fairly disappointing. But if you really disliked it try adding (a lot of) water as it opens up some more desirable flavors while hiding the more bitter grassy notes

All I get on the nose is dried bales of alfalfa. Some sugary caramel or pastry sweetness in there but dried hay is primarily what I get. It's more of an earthy sweetness that reminds me of barns and round bales. Palate is along the same lines with some chocolate almond mixed in. After tasting for a minute more of the chocolate nuts comes out in both; along with some cinnamon and spice flavor. Finish lingers for a surprising amount of time and is light, sweet, and grassy (in a pleasant way). This is a good whiskey I was excited to try as a High West fanboy, but it's far from my favorite American Malt.

Very sweet in the beginning with notable flavors of vanilla and floral spice. Astringent dry finish which is in contrast to the soft velvet like mouthfeel initially. You taste the barley husks at the end…find a friend who already bought this and save yourself the sadness of overspending. It’s 35 bucks good, not 80 bucks good. I’ll keep trying single malt American Whiskeys due to their unique flavor profile but man this style is a crapshoot.

Tried neat. Bought for $130 and not worth that price unfortunately. On the nares I get tobacco, corn, wood, smoke, char, grain. On the palate it’s tastes very young with notes of black pepper, spearmint, wood, tobacco. Although I love this distillery and most things I have had, I wanted this to be better… won’t buy the next release.