High West Yippee Ki-Yay (2019 Release)

I would recommend pouring this one in your glass and letting it sit for a few minutes. This helps to tone down the sweetness on the nose from the finishing process. The wine and vermouth were a bit overwhelming initially. I did enjoy this addition to the High West collection. The dram was quite nice as it evolved from the time I poured it until the final sip. It started very fruity, sweet, and almost cloying. By the end after some breath it was easier to notice the typical rye flavors. I will be keeping a bottle in my rotation. N - dark fruit, butter, vermouth P - sweet, apple, nutty, oak F - short, crisp, and a lingering of what I can only describe as a resemblance of the sparkling grape juice we give the kids on New Year's Eve.

Fruity and indulgent. I get a strong raisin note, which I usually get from fruit-forward, finished whiskeys. This is a great pour, but if you are like me and trying to discern whether it’s worth opening your bottle of this discontinued product, I would save it and get one of high west’s finished picks. A manhattan pick I have now hits very similar notes, and I am reassured knowing I can find it again.

So I wanted to like this more than I did in the end. It has a unique nose, primarily from the vermouth of course, which I find slightly berry but also cough syrup medicinal. The flavor is nice up front with a decent mouthfeel but the finish is a bit tannic and left much to be desired. I’m a huge fan of HW Double Rye and the price of Yippee just left me all the more disappointed.

I honestly had a hard time tasting anything with this up front. From the nose to the finish it was quite light but as i continued to sip i got hints of cinnamon and black pepper maybe? Just a bit of fruitiness to it, maybe like a spiced apple.. interested to see how this is on future pours but intrigued for now

Definitely get the red fruit and sweetness from the French Oak barrels, but the flavors didn’t have the depth I expected. A bit hollow when compared with MWND which I expected to be similar. Not as much spice as I anticipated either, especially given the mashbill. Still a tasty dram, but not at ~$80.

Very sweet nose matched by a sweet palate. The vermouth and Syrah really shines through, along with brown sugar and a bit of pepper. The finish is long and moderately spicy, although I wish it was a little spicier to be honest. Very comparable dram to midwinters but not quite as complex or flavorful.