I always like to see a distillery release a Bottled-in-Bond whiskey. The High West Distillery has in the past released whiskeys that were a marriage of their own whiskey and sourced whiskey, and I am extremely happy to see that they have released a bonded Bourbon from their own distillery. It did not disappoint us. It is a very good bonded whiskey distilled in the fall of 2020. This makes the whiskey about five years old, depending upon when in the fall it was distilled. They sent me a bottle of their Bonded Bourbon the other day and Matt and I sat down and tasted it. Here are our tasting notes.
High West Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
Proof: 100
Age: No Age Statement – Distilled in the Fall of 2020
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, pears, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, orange zest, allspice, coffee with cream, oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, pears, peaches, allspice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and raspberry and dates come out to join the party. Tasted with a pecan and caramel and orange zest come forward.
- Matt: Caramel, coffee with cream, cinnamon and oak wood. The dried cranberry made the cinnamon red hot candy cinnamon. The pecan added a note of cocoa.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, allspice and lingering peach. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with oak wood and raspberries. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood, orange zest and lingering caramel.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and coffee. The dried cranberry added some cinnamon to the finish. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and caramel.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with one of my favorite cigars – a My Father The Judge cigar. The chocolate and vanilla in the smoke would pair well with the vanilla and caramel in the Bourbon.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller