Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
Whiskey companies started by women, even in this day and age, are still a relatively scarce consideration versus the overall total percentage of ownership across the industry. For Christi Lower, a former pediatric surgery PA, mother of four, and whiskey enthusiast, she chose to ask “why?” when starting her own spirits company, Highline Spirits, that’s based out of Michigan.
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For Lower, she envisioned “a transformative spirits company untethered by tradition, history, orientation, gender, or beliefs.” Not only in her mind did this mean challenging gender norms in the spirits industry, but also going against traditional distilling taboos. For her, she’s focused Highline on “sourcing, blending, batching, and special-finishing super-premium and ultra-premium small-batch spirits completely unique unto themselves.”
“As I started learning about the industry over ten years ago,” said Lower when she launched her brand last August, “I was fascinated with the evolution of a spirit based on weather, terroir, wood, grain, and yeast. Yet I was also struck by how myopic the final distillate landing in the bottle could be. Most whiskey on the shelf is controlled by a very small group of people, marketing to an American consumer who no longer looks as it did when the industry started.
“Our culture is evolving. Our spirits should also be evolving with different personalities, perspectives and practices to reflect that growth and dimension.”
To this end, alongside hiring a diverse staff, Highline entered the market with four limited edition, flagship products. The one I’m reviewing today, Highline Kentucky Straight Whiskey, is a “discovered” 8-year-old whiskey from Kentucky that has an unspecified mash bill, minus reference to a “higher malt barley content.”
Certified Kosher and bottled at 50% ABV, it is pricing at $49.99. Availability is currently in Michigan and also online.
Tasting Notes: Highline Straight Kentucky Whiskey
Vital Stats: 8-year-old Kentucky whiskey with a “higher malt barley content”; bottled at 50% ABV; priced at $49.99.
Appearance: Much more on very light golden amber side of things. Weak leg structure.
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Nose: So so mix of notes of caramel, candy corn, maple syrup, pineapple and apricot.
Palate: Let’s see here…cinnamon, baked bread, maple syrup, cotton candy, molasses and orange come across a little disjointed. Finish is sweet and fades too fast, leaving some funk in my back throat after.
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