February 24th, 2011

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Pioneer of the Year”: David Perkins and High West

John Hansell

This is going to be a controversial decision, and the cry will be “High West doesn’t make whiskey!” Well…maybe.

Here’s the thing. Perkins and High West burst onto the scene three years ago with Rendezvous Rye, a whiskey that was so good it surprised people. Rye whiskey? From Utah? Perkins was quick to explain that he had blended the whiskey from stock he had bought from an undisclosed source, something he would continue to do, and therein lies the tale.

High West currently has much more in common with Compass Box Whisky from Scotland than it does with an artisan whiskey distiller like Tuthilltown Spirits. Perkins is blending American straight whiskeys, something that distillers had largely stopped doing decades ago. A few examples: Rendezvous Rye is a blend of two rye whiskies, a 6 year old and a 16 year old. BouRye is a blend of 12 year old 95% rye mashbill whiskey and 10 year old bourbon. The new Double Rye mixes a very young 2 year old high rye whiskey with a 16 year old rye. All of these were something anyone could have done, but he actually did it; more to the point, he did it really, really well. These are killer whiskeys, just check their ratings in our Buyers Guide.

Is Perkins “just” blending whiskeys other people made? Sure. And how much of what a master distiller does is just that: tasting, nosing, tracking, identifying, blending? The fact is, whatever he’s doing, he’s bringing whiskeys to light that might otherwise have died a woody death, and making something great out of them, by blending them together.

Meanwhile, Perkins has a distillery in operation, and is tweaking it to create great whiskey…all in good time. While we wait for that to reach true maturity, he’s delivering properly aged whiskey, blended masterfully from existing stocks.

No one else in America is doing this, and he’s doing it well, pioneering in new territory.

Check back tomorrow to find out who has been awarded the “Industry Leader of the Year”.

Category: Awards,Bourbon,Rye whiskey Tags: , 70 Comments

January 28th, 2011

Review: High West Double Rye

John Hansell

High West Double Rye, 46%, $35

A blend of two straight whiskeys: a very young 2 year old high rye content whiskey and a 16 year old rye whiskey with a lower rye content. Perhaps the spiciest American whiskey I have ever tasted, yet at the same time, quite tame and mellow. Complex notes of mint, clove, cinnamon, licorice root, pine nuts, and dark chocolate, with a surprising dose of gin botanicals throughout. A soft underbelly of caramel, sweet corn, and soothing vanilla provides an interesting counterpoint. Very easy-drinking, too (hard to believe it’s 46%). Intriguing, and a must-try for rye whiskey aficionados — even if only to satisfy your curiosity.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Rye whiskey Tags: , 14 Comments

December 14th, 2009

Your predictions for 2010?

John Hansell

Okay everyone, get out your crystal ball. What do you see happening to the whisky (and whiskey) industry in 2010? I’ll start the discussion by making a couple of predictions myself.

 
More experimental American whiskeys
The American whiskey industry was very slow getting on the experimenting bandwagon (relative to Scotch, Japanese, and Irish whiskey). But with the likes of Woodford Reserve’s Master’s Collection whiskeys, High West’s “Bourye“, The Party Sources “Wheat on Rye” Experimental Whiskey (in association with Buffalo Trace Distillery), and the blossoming small, artisanal distilleries, I think (or at least I hope) 2010 will see more different kinds of experimental bourbons and other American whiskeys on the market than ever before.

More Scotch whiskies without age statements
Across the pond in Scotland, I think more and more distilleries will continue abandoning age statements. It gives them more flexibility in what goes in the bottle. It will also help them blend in younger whiskey coming on the market with existing stocks of older whisky and still command a fair price for it.

Now it’s your turn. Tell us what you think will happen in 2010. We can come back to this one year from now and see how well we did.

Category: Bourbon,Opinions,Rye whiskey,Scotch whisky Tags: , , , 32 Comments

September 28th, 2009

High West “Bourye”–a blend of straight rye and bourbon whiskeys!

John Hansell

Bourye_Front[1]David Perkins at the High West Distillery in Park City, Utah is at it again. He got his hands on some 12 year old straight rye whiskey (95% rye) and 10 year old straight bourbon whiskey (15% rye) and blended them together to make one whiskey. He’s calling it “Bourye” (combining the words “bourbon” and “rye”, in case you didn’t get that). It’s being bottled at 46%.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the front label shows a picture of a jackalope.  Here’s what the back label says:

The jackalope, also called an antelabbit, is an antlered species of
rabbit, a cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope with horns
on the top of their head. It is rumored that pockets of jackalope
populations continue to persist in the American West, its native
home. In the old West, when cowboys would gather by their
campfi res to sing at night, jackalopes would frequently be heard
singing back, mimicking the voices of the cowboys. When chased,
the jackalope will use its vocal abilities to elude capture. For instance,
when chased by people it will call out phrases such as, “There he
goes, over there,” in order to throw pursuers off its track. Legend
suggests the best way to catch a jackalope is to lure it with whiskey,
as they have a particular fondness for this drink. Once intoxicated,
the animal becomes slower and easier to hunt.

That’s why High West created Bourye, our proprietary blend of
Bourbon and Rye, both favorites of real cowboys and sure to attract
even the most fi nicky of jackalopes. The bourbon is a 10-year-old
with a 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% barley malt mashbill. The rye is
a straight 12-year-old 95% rye, 5% barley malt mashbill. Its best
enjoyed around a campfi re while looking at the Milky Way.

Important! Jackalopes will attack if cornered or provoked. To
avoid injury, quickly fall to the ground, remain calm and still,
while humming the Roy Rogers song, “Happy Trails to You.”

Proprietor and Distiller
David Perkins

He’s sending me a review sample. I’ll let you know my thoughts when I taste it. If you want to know more about price and availability, reach out to David directly: david@highwest.com

So, this got me thinking. Has anyone ever blended a fully matured straight rye whiskey with a straight bourbon whiskey before? (Yes, I know sometimes blends like this are done when formulating Canadian whiskeys, but then they’re diluted with a more “neutral” tasting base whiskey.)

Category: Bourbon,New Releases,Rye whiskey Tags: 17 Comments



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