Our first experience with High West Distillery was in 2019 when Alie and I traveled to Park City, Utah for Spring Break. The goal of our trip was to connect with friends and ride the slopes, but we found an extra treat along the way. After an adventurous day on the mountain, we headed over to High West for a whiskey tasting and a bite to eat. It seemed fitting to release this review about High West Double Rye exactly three years later while we spend this spring break in Moab.
Utah is probably not the first place you think of when it comes to whiskey. Even though Colorado has a strong distillery presence, I hadn’t considered that our neighbor Utahns have a similar passion for distilled spirits. Was my perception due to the stringent liquor laws established in Utah? Or was it simply Coloradoan snobbery? While our High West tasting room experience was light on pours, serving us with a true wee dram, the whiskey made up for it in flavor.
At the distillery, we sampled a selection of their signature whiskeys. Although I don’t remember every taste I had that evening, I do remember the High West Double Rye being the standout of the group. Since we visited Park City, I’ve sampled several other offerings from High West. Only recently did I spot a bottle of High West Double Rye and feel compelled to take it home for sampling.
High West Whiskey
High West was founded in 2006 and became the first legal distillery in Utah since 1870. It began as a small operation, but due to its popularity, it expanded rapidly. Currently, there are three locations in Utah: two in Park City and one in Wanship. Each offers a unique experience, so if you have multiple opportunities to try this whiskey in different settings. If you can’t make it to Utah, they also offer virtual tastings. You can find out more on their website here.
High West Double Rye
High West Double Rye is a blended rye whiskey. It contains two different types of rye whiskey. Only one is distilled by High West. The other is sourced from MGP, a company that sells spirits to other companies for blending. Both whiskeys are aged a minimum of two years and blended to create the “spiciest rye whiskey in the world,” according to the folks at High West, that is. Double Rye is a solid 92 proof which gives the whiskey a bold finish.
Tasting Notes
The aroma of High West Double Rye is light. It didn’t burn my nasal passages like some other whiskeys when I got a little too aggressive trying to sniff the whiskey. To me, it has a light herbal smell that brings out the scent of clove.
When I went for a taste, the spiciness hit the tip of my tongue sharply. There is a lot of spice to this whiskey. Alie picked up a woody taste on the palate and noticed a little smoke to the flavor. Once you get through the initial spice, the flavors become rather light with a hint of sweetness. There is good intensity to this whiskey as it lingers on the palette, not too much to destroy your tastebuds, but enough to remind you that you’ve been drinking. The more I sipped, the more I noticed hints of sweet mint in the flavor profile. The tingly burn of the whiskey does have a minty characteristic. Towards the end of the dram, we both noticed a light licorice flavor.
Our Ratings
Drinkability: 4
Intensity: 3
Personal Preference: 4.2
Availability: 5
Beginner Friendly: 3
Overall: 4.1
Final Thoughts
High West Double Rye is spicy on the first few sips, but it mellows out the more time you spend with it; acclimation, if you will. If you can weather the initial spice storm, the whiskey becomes easier to drink and more enjoyable to taste.
Overall, the whiskey is relatively smooth. The flavors are complementary without overpowering each other. With each sip, we noticed a new taste. It was fun to talk about the new flavors we discovered with each taste and challenge one another to see what more we could find.
We mixed up High West Double Rye in a few of our cocktail concoctions. It makes for an excellent cocktail base because of the kick it adds. The spicy flavor especially complements citrus cocktails. Our favorite was mixed in our Citrus Sage Julep. You can find the recipe here.
Alie enjoyed this whiskey more than I did. While I certainly wouldn’t turn it down, I can think of a few whiskeys I would go to before this one, especially if I’m drinking it straight up. If I see it on a menu as a base in a cocktail, I am guaranteed to give it a try.
At about $35 per bottle, it is on the pricy side for a great cocktail mixer. I would like to see this bottle sell for under $30. At that price point, it would be worth keeping in your bar. As High West continues to expand its in-house distilling and blending, I can see the potential for the price point to fall under $30 in the near future.
If you haven’t given High West a try yet, keep an eye out. There is bound to be a bottle in their collection that will suit your taste. The great thing about enjoying High West at home is your pour can be whatever size you wish!
Happy exploring!
