High West Son of Bourye

Many thanks to @RichardofModernDrinking for this sample. I'm a huge fan of High West. I think it's one of the few craft distilleries that actually create a sum of something greater than the individual components. Now that they've been bought by a bigger spirits company, it'll be interesting to see if those talents can be more widely taken, or will it fizzle out. This one had a nose of mint and eucalyptus, classic rye aromas...but, a bit subdued from the bourbon's vanilla and caramel. I was expecting the taste to be a conflict between the rye's mint and the bourbon's vanilla, but it was rather well done...the bourbon backbone played well with the rye upfront. It's good...but personally, I'd rather have the bourbon or the rye, not both together. It's maybe me personally rather than a representation of this blend. Out of the hundreds of ways High West could've screwed this up, fortunately they found the one way to make it work right. Thanks Richard for this!

Spicy. I prefer Double Rye instead of this Double Rye & Bourbon blend. That said, I'd like to try the older Bourye, as that may mellow it out and add some complexity. I suggest skipping this and going with Bourye, or even Double Rye, though I would suggest skipping straight to Rendezvous Rye since even that is pretty spicy and lacks complexity, especially since Rendezvous is supposed to be one of the all-time best ryes.

High west. Thank you. You don't care what traditional whiskey drinkers think and because of that, I got into the liquid gold. I love their blends and this is such a good mix of spice and some smoky flavor. Bourye has been out of stock until recently so I've been enjoying this gem. Drinking high west makes me think of camping, being by a fire, just all the good things that come with a having a glass of whiskey outdoors.

Nose- bourbon forward. Caramel and brown sugar, and vanilla. Palate- starts with the sweetness of the bourbon. Very high corn percentage. Cinnamon. Gives way to the rye and dry finish. More of a bready finish and aftertaste. Finish. Lingering sweetness and rye spicyness. Overall- a fun pour that feels more bourbon than rye although both elements are detected.

Tasted 12/17/2014 : Rye nose of spice and mint added with vanilla/honeysuckle sweetness with baking chocolate. Sweet and spice perfectly balanced with a creamy, full texture which finishes the same way, though not as long as I wished. This is perfect for sipping on a cold night by a fire after skiing. Need to add to my collection.

MGPI sourced whiskey and mixed by HW, but they do it well (if too pricey!). Spice and orange and sweet grass vanilla on the nose. Sweet cherry stone fruit and vanilla, oak, and then spicy grassy rye comes on in the finish. Medium body, light color. Easy to drink and appreciate as a high rye bourbon.