This post sponsored by the Glencairn Whisky Glass

A Midwinter’s Night Dram is a seasonal release from High West Distillery. This is their sixth release of the bottling and I have enjoyed the whiskey from their past releases as I do this one. This release is not my favorite of the series, but it is quite good. It is finished in a port wine cask but for me the dominant flavor is the rye grassiness of the whiskey. I do find that this flavor is subdued somewhat when it is allowed to breathe for a while. I would recommend that you allow it to sit in the glass for about five minutes before sipping on the whiskey. Some of the rye grassiness diminishes and the fruit starts to come forward. Well worth the wait.

Midwinter’s Night Dram: Act 6, Scene 6

Proof: 98.6

Age: No Age Statement

Nose: Caramel and fruit – cherries and berries, with lots of rye grassiness with a hint of oak and baking spices.

Taste: Rye grass – like drinking in a hay field – with some berry fruit and baking spices – nutmeg and cinnamon. The oak is dominated by the rye grass. Tasted with a dried cranberry and some vanilla and caramel come forward and the rye grassiness is reduced. Tasted with a pecan and the fruit comes forward.

Finish: Long and a dry tannic oak to the point that it is astringent. The cranberry reduces the tannins and brings forward the spices. The pecan makes the oak less astringent.

Going with the winter theme I decided to have a Rocky Patel Winter Edition 2018. I find the smoke to be a rich tobacco with a hint of cocoa powder and cedar spice – like a Christmas cookie. The rye adds some vanilla to the smoke while the smoke brings out a little orange zest, clove and malted chocolate to the rye. It is a good pairing.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller