High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11 Rye Whiskey Review

I wrote the following when introducing last year’s sample of High West’s A Midwinter Night’s Dram, and it’s all still relevant, so allow me the luxury of pasting a bit:

When it comes to limited release bourbon and rye whiskey, the “finished” corner of the market is an interesting little fiefdom. Although many of the most hyped, premiere products in this space simply feature big age statements and big proofs, finishing a spirit in fortified wine or alternate spirit barrels can also confer “prestige” status in some cases … though not all. There are a handful of “finished” brands, however, that the whiskey world really embraces with the full-on hype usually reserved solely for Buffalo Trace products, and one of those is definitely High West’s A Midwinter Night’s Dram—a port barrel-finished rye whiskey. This bottle is certainly a boon for High West, giving the company a legit, blue chip “hype brand” that whiskey collectors frequently go far out of their way to acquire. Though it boasts a pretty luxe MSRP (which has risen as of late) of $150, it’s not uncommon to see whiskey hunters offering $300-400 for this one on the secondary market.

Last year was the 10th iteration of the brand (Act 10), and saw the extra release of a second bottle dubbed Encore, aged exclusively in white port barrels, as opposed to the ruby and tawny port barrels features in the standard Midwinter Night’s Dram. This year does not seem to have another Encore release. What we have instead in Act 11 is a classic expression of “MWND,” made from a Rendezvous Rye blend of MGP rye (95% rye, 5% malted barley) and High West’s own distillate, which is 80% rye, 20% malted barley. As ever, these have been finished in ruby and tawny port barrels, where they pick up considerable auburn coloration. It’s been hitting shelves in October.

So with that said, let’s get to tasting MWND Act 11. For the High West geeks in the house, my own sample is Act 11, Scene 1, which carries the typical 49.3% ABV (98.6 proof).

On the nose, I’m getting somewhat more caramel than I tend to typically find in Midwinter Night’s Dram releases, along with pralines, and a gradual descent into the more expected berries and stewed dark fruits. There is vanilla here, along with traces of cinnamon and licorice. Over time, I’m finding the fruit to evoke fig jam more and more, but there are also traces of cocoa, almost fudge-like.

On the palate, this batch has retained moderate rye spice, which is rather nice, rather than having it be totally subsumed into the profile of the finishing barrels. I’m getting rye toast with marmalade, along with cherry, dried fruit, dried herbs, tobacco and toasted oak. It has a nice, round character on the palate, with a gradual delineation from flavor to flavor, making for a good fusion between the juicier fruit and herbal rye notes and the warm spices. The finish is gentle, with a kiss of French oak-like baking spice.

In the past, A Midwinter Night’s Dram hasn’t always been a personal favorite of mine, as I feel it has sometimes lacked the cohesion and balance I’m looking for in a finished whiskey. This batch, Act 11, on the other hand, seems to pull itself together quite nicely, making it arguably the best batch of MWND that I’ve tasted to date. Fans of the series will want to take note.

Distillery: High West
City: Park City, Utah
Style: Blend of straight rye whiskeys
ABV: 49.3% (98.6 proof)
Availability: 750 ml bottles, $150 MSRP

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