Tasting: 2 Core Whiskeys from High n’ Wicked (Bourbon, Rye)

There is so much sourced whiskey on the shelf today, in such a dizzying array of formats, that I don’t envy the task of any young company trying to break into this particular niche of the spirits world. Without a story and history to call their own, any one of these young brands theoretically faces bigger hurdles to become recognized by the consumer, and more importance than ever is put on the quality of the spirit itself. Increasingly, this finds those young non-distiller producers turning to gimmickry in order to carve out a niche, often in the form of fanciful secondary maturations or other “finishes.” In that sense, it’s nice to see right off the bat that High n’ Wicked has eschewed that kind of gimmickry with its own flagship bourbon and rye whiskey.

In some respects, High n’ Wicked looks like a pretty typical independent bottler. It was founded in 2019 by two well-heeled former Brown-Forman senior executives, W. L. Lyons Brown III and Kevin E. Sachs. It primarily sources Kentucky bourbon and rye, as in this duo of 5-year-old flagship expressions. But the company also has some much more fanciful releases in its “Singular Limited Releases” series, featuring everything from 15-year-old Tennessee bourbon finished in Madeira casks, to single barrel Irish malt whiskey or single grain Irish whiskey finished in Foursquare rum barrels. This dalliance into Irish whiskey is a particularly interesting part of the company’s equation, and not exactly something you see many bourbon-focused independent bottlers dabbling in.

At its heart, though, the company will no doubt be judged by the quality of its flagship bourbon and rye expressions, so let’s dive straight into tasting them.

High n’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 52% (104 proof)
MSRP: $80

As is so often the case with sourced bourbon in Kentucky, the company does not note the specific source for this whiskey–which stands out a bit more than it would otherwise given that a source (New Riff) is provided for the rye. Regardless, this one does stand out for its frankly quite unusual mash bill, being a sweet mash bourbon of only 51% corn, 39% rye and 10% malted barley. Suffice to say, that is well beyond “high rye” territory, into a not typically explored region that is almost splitting the difference between bourbon and Kentucky-style rye. This distillate is aged “a minimum of 5 years” in standard 53 gallon barrels, “Medium toast, #4 char.”

On the nose, this expression leads off with caramel and quite dark vanilla notes, joined by somewhat more youthful woodiness evoking freshly sawn lumber. There’s significant fruitiness to the nose as well, trending in a somewhat vinous direction and with quite a bit of dried fruit evoking raisin. This is joined by spice notes of clove and charred cinnamon stick.

On the palate this leads off as sweet and spicy, with toffee sweetness and cinnamon brown sugar, followed by some of the same fruit notes–grape jelly and more nebulous dark fruit. Toasted oak makes itself felt, with an overall wood profile that is less “char” and more toasted baking spices. There’s some crisp grain and a little corny sweetness, but only mild to moderate residual sweetness at the end of the day. Alcohol heat is sturdy and befitting the proof.

All in all this feels like a pretty classic mid-aged bourbon, and the surprising aspect is that despite the ton of rye in the mash bill that hardly seems to be genuinely the driving impression here. Rather, this bottle feels more barrel driven to me, especially in terms of toasted oak. The $80 MSRP, on the other hand, might be a bit steep for consumers who are looking for more value in something with a modest age statement.

High n’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

ABV: 49.1% (98.2 proof)
MSRP: $80

I was intrigued by this rye whiskey from the start thanks to its provenance at Newport’s New Riff Distilling. They’re known for making their own twist on the classic MGP “95/5” rye whiskey mash bill, and yet the cited mash bill for this rye is 91% rye, 9% malted barley. I’m not familiar with this particular rye mash bill from New Riff, which makes me wonder whether this is something the company is typically making, and if this particular mash bill is found in any other products on the shelf. Regardless, this is aged 5 years in “seasoned, medium toast new #4 char American white oak barrels,” and bottled at a slightly lower proof than the Kentucky straight bourbon.

On the nose, the difference in this expression is immediately pronounced. There’s a lot of sweet mint here, along with mint chocolate, licorice, clove and honey roasted nuts. Greater impression of maturity is felt as well, with leather and herbal tones adding beguiling complexity. This nose is quite nice, and my first impression is that it actually reminds me of some of the significantly older MGP ryes I’ve always quite enjoyed.

On the palate, the initial surprise here is how much softer and drinkable this is in comparison with the bourbon–that Kentucky bourbon is by no means a particularly boozy dram, but this one is very well integrated in terms of ethanol and drinks like the ABV is significantly lower. That doesn’t mean that this is lacking for flavor, however–quite the opposite. This is packed with pumpernickel rye notes and restrained pepperiness, combined with milk chocolate, vanilla, dried herbs and more than a little tobacco and black cherry. Complex herbal flavors meld beautifully with spicy oak influence. I am quite impressed–this displays a lot of characteristics that are typically associated with far older ryes, and it’s hard to believe they got this out of merely 5 years of aging. In this particular age range, it might well be the most impressive rye whiskey I’ve come across!

With that said, the $80 MSRP essentially demands that this needs to represent a top shelf value. And thankfully, it does. High n’ Wicked’s Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is a real stand-out, and makes me very curious to learn more about the New Riff distillate behind it.

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.