For all my years of enjoying wonderful whiskies from High West, I’ve never tried their American Prairie Bourbon until recently. The whiskey is a blend of straight bourbons aged 2 to 13 years. One of the whiskies in the blend is from MGP and features a 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt mash bill. All other whiskies utilized remain undisclosed. The resulting whiskey is bottled at 46% ABV.

One neat thing about this expression is that a portion of sales goes to the American Prairie Foundation, who’s mission is to restore the prairie ecosystem in the United States. High West also collaborated with Coalatree for a limited edition High West X Coalatree Kachula Adventure blanket (pictured above). $30 from each blanket sale will be donated to support the conservation efforts of the American Prairie Reserve (the largest nature reserve in the continental U.S.). I’d say this is a worthy cause! Drink a little bourbon, warm up beside a campfire, and help save the American Prairie!

As far as the whiskey is concerned, not too shabby. The nose features some light caramel and fruit notes alongside a touch of vanilla. On the palate, there’s a fair amount of rye spice that pops in after an initial hit of sweet caramel. The spicy also plays well with the dried fruit found in the background. A slight earthy note emerges on the back palate. The medium finish features lingering notes of sweet tobacco, caramel, and black pepper.

High West American Prairie is a decent enough bourbon, one that isn’t too complex but is, however, easy on the palate. It’s a fine daily sipper that goes down nicely neat but starts to lose its character with ice or a splash of water. For the $35ish asking price, it comes with an easy recommendation.

Thanks to High West for the American Prairie bourbon sample as well as a High West X Coalatree Kachula Adventure blanket. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.