whiskey review

High West Bourye (2016) Review

The original bourbon and rye whiskey blend, High West’s Bourye hits shelves again in a limited release.  The first batch several years ago was a big hit for the Utah distillery.  Though High West distills whiskey, a large percentage of the current releases include sourced whiskies, something the distillery is very open about.

High West Bourye

All of the whiskies in this blend are sourced from MGP in Indiana.  They include a 9-year-old bourbon (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley), 13-year-old rye whiskey and 17-year-old rye whiskey.  The mashbill for the rye whiskies is 95% rye, 5% malted barley.  High West isn’t disclosing ratio of each whiskey in this blend.  Bourye is non-chill filtered and bottled at a very sippable 92 proof.  The suggested retail price is $79.99.

The rich nose comes across as more high-rye bourbon than rye whiskey upon pouring the glass. After a few moments, the aromatic rye whiskies make you stand up and take notice.  The older rye whiskies provide lovely baking spices, fruit and a not-quite-sharp rye grain, alongside toasted oak.  Corn and caramel come to us courtesy of the bourbon this blend.  The complex entry is full of cinnamon, cloves, rye grain and corn mingled together beautifully over a bed of dark brown sugar and old but not overly-dry oak.  I initially hoped for a higher bottling proof, but here 92 proof is spot on.  I don’t care to add water to this.  The medium-long finish is the weakest part of this whiskey.  It’s pure rye spice over a small amount of saccharine sweetness.  That odd sweetness is slightly disappointing, but still worthy of the whiskey overall.

Folks, I have a feeling this will make my Top 10 favorite whiskies list at the end of the year.  High West founder David Perkins and Head Distiller Brendan Coyle have done a fantastic job of balancing a nicely aged bourbon and older rye whiskies.  You really get the best of both worlds.  The strong nose and full-bodied palate cover the slight shortcomings of the finish, and at the end of the day it’s a whiskey I’m glad I tasted.  This batch of Bourye is highly recommended.

9/10
(Note: A small review sample was provided by High West.)

Gifted Horse Whiskey Review

Gifted Horse is the seventh Orphan Barrel release.  Wow, has it been seven already?  To this point, the youngest Orphan Barrel was Forged Oak, a 15-year-old bourbon.  This is the first in the series that  carries no age statement on the label.  If it did have one, it would read “4 years old”.  Also of note is the high 115 proof, making it the highest proof of all the Orphan Barrel whiskies.

Photo courtesy of Diageo.

Photo courtesy of Diageo.

The story here is that 17-year-old bourbon was accidentally mixed with young whiskey (4-year-old corn whiskey and 4-year-old bourbon).  It’s the same thing we heard with Wild Turkey’s Forgiven, which is a blend of rye whiskey and bourbon.  You can choose to believe the story or not.

Something we do know is the source of the whiskies in the blend and how much of each the final blend is comprised of.  38.5% of Gifted Horse is 17-year-old bourbon distilled at the Bernheim Distillery, while 51% is 4-year-old bourbon from Indiana.  A 4-year-old corn whiskey, also distilled in Indiana, makes up the rest of this whiskey.

Let’s take a look at the juice inside the bottle.

The high proof of this whiskey is evident in its initial fiery nose.  Young corn grain and cinnamon candy are the first aromas out of the glass.  Things mellow out a bit after a moment, allowing some caramel and an herbal note to come through.  The entry is a little on the hot side.  Once the alcohol punch dissipates, classic bourbon flavors begin showing up – sweet young corn, caramel richness and some cinnamon spice.  It tastes perfectly fine to this point.  Then the older whiskey shows up, adding some astringent oak which was a slight surprise given the youngish character of the entry.  A long, warm and slightly dry finish leaves behind a sweet corn grain note.

Don’t get me wrong – I know Orphan Barrel whiskies are oak-forward, but I expected a better integration between the young and old whiskies this blend is comprised of.  Instead, Gifted Horse feels a bit scattered.  All the flavors and aromas we love in bourbon are here, but this is a case of the parts being greater than the sum.  I do applaud the high bottling proof here.  It’s something I wish other Orphan Barrel whiskies had.  All in all, Gifted Horse is a mostly solid whiskey.  The suggested retail price of $50 might be a tad on the high side for what’s in the bottle.

7.5/10
(Note: A small review sample was provided by Diageo.)

Michter’s 10-Year-Old Rye Whiskey Review (2016)

Michters 10yr RyeMichter’s 10-year-old single barrel rye whiskey is the company’s first release of 2016.  It was last seen on shelves in 2014, and was scheduled for a 2015 release.  According to press materials, Michter’s Master Distiller Willie Pratt held back the whiskey for further maturation.    This is the same story we heard for Michter’s 10-year-old bourbon release last year.  Cynics will claim this is pure marketing, but I think there’s truth to this.  If the whiskey’s not ready, the whiskey’s just not ready.

As mentioned above, this release is a single barrel release – something all of Michter’s rye whiskies share.  My sample is from barrel number 16A113.  This limited release rye whiskey is proofed down to 46.4% abv, or 92.8 proof.  As with all of Michter’s products, some filtration is employed.  The mashbill is also not disclosed.  The suggested retail price is $150, but I doubt you’ll find it for anywhere near that, thanks to the current American whiskey market.

The fragrant nose is full of dark brown sugar and baking spices.  It smells rich and sweet.  That sharp rye grain note usually found in rye whiskies is here, but is quite subdued.  Some vanilla and a small banana note round out the nose.  Think bananas foster.  I could smell this all day.  In the flavor department, the rye spice quickly becomes apparent.  Cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg swirl around a rich foundation of bittersweet brown sugar and creamy vanilla.  Slightly astringent and spicy oak develop toward the back-palate and into the finish, which is  medium-long in length.   There’s some heat at first, followed by that lovely spiced brown sugar and just a touch of mint.

Wow.

To answer the burning question of whether or not this rye whiskey is worth at least $150, I say yes.  A thousand times yes.  This is another exemplary whiskey release by Michter’s.  It’s perfectly proofed to be sipped.  Though I wish the finish were longer, it’s a small nitpick of an otherwise fantastic rye whiskey.  Highly recommended.

9/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Michter’s.)