New High West Distillery Whiskey Tastes Like Christmas

Utah is not likely the first state which comes to mind when one thinks of liquor, but it is here the highly regarded High West Distillery is located. Noted for being Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, and also described as the world’s only ski-in gastro-distillery given its location roughly 7,000 feet above sea level, it is called out for its range of quality whiskey offerings. The latest to join this line up is a fun new spirit called A Midwinter Night’s Dram.

Released on Valentine’s Day and said to taste like the flavors of Christmas,  A Midwinter Night’s Dram is named after the Shakespeare comedy about love known as A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What’s been put to bottle in this release is the distillery’s Rendezvous Rye – a mix of a straight 6-year-old with a mashbill containing 95% rye/5% barley malt and a straight 16-year-old with a mashbill containing 80% rye/10% corn/10% barley malt – that is placed into port and French oak barrels for several more months to finish.

Tasting notes from High West indicate this whiskey to have on the nose hints of vanilla, caramel and cinnamon, based upon the rye, tied to plums and dried fruits because of the port and some spice via the French oak. It opens to a taste described as “a proper Christmas plum pudding with lovely mulling spices, dried fruits, and crème anglaise.” The finish is said to be long and fruity.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram prices for around $80 and was bottled at 98.6 proof. It is available directly from the distillery in limited numbers and will go on sale nationwide in October in plenty of time for Christmas 2014.