What kind of Port-finished rye whiskey mischief do Puck and Oberon have in store from Utah’s snowy mountains with High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 12?
When it comes to annual rye releases, every whiskey lover has their favorite–be it Michter’s, WhistlePig, or something else entirely–but for us, we spend our year waiting with bated breath for the latest addition of High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram, which is now in Act 12. What’s special about this particular spicy annual release is that it’s aged in Port barrels, and each year there’s a slight change up from the one before–it’s also released as a limited-edition and can be difficult to get your hands on.
High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 12 starts with the Utah-based brand’s Rendezvous Rye, which means it uses a high rye mashbill blend of 95% rye, 5% malted barley from MGP, and 80% rye, 20% malted rye from High West. This year’s release was then finished in both Port and French oak barrels.
“Every year, Midwinters is a big exciting release for us, not only for the Salt Lake community and the whiskey community, but on site,” Winter said. “We try to keep our sensory [analysis] really tight on the core products, but when the limited’s come out, Midwinters being one of them, we like to play a little bit. This is our chance as blenders, as creators, to flex our muscles.” Adding, “We’re going to keep the same soul of the whiskey, but we’re going to celebrate each new vintage. For Act 12, we showcased some really bright red fruit notes, which show off the ruby Port character well, whereas last year, it was a little bit spicy.”
The nose offers aromas of brandied cherries, figs, and pecan cinnamon rolls, while the palate features poached white peaches, stewed rhubarb, Italian tiramisu, candied ginger, clove, weathered cinnamon bark, fresh-pulled espresso, and raspberry tarte on a cedar plank.
A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 12 is now available online for $149.99 per 750 milliliter bottle. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
