Table Of Contents

The Details

Rating 92
Style
American Whiskey
Whiskey
Produced In Utah
United States
ABV 50%
Availability Limited
Price $79.99 
Reviewed By
Review Updated 2024-04-03

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey Review

For almost 20 years, Utah’s High West has built its brand reputation on sourced whiskey blends and novel finishes. It’s especially known for blended rye, often made with a heavy component of MGP-sourced product. The annual “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” release — which still contains some sourced whiskey — is often cited as a tipping point in popularizing finished ryes for the American consumer.

In recent years, the brand has begun incorporating more of its in-house distillate into products, gradually phasing out some components sourced out-of-state.

Today, we’re focused entirely on High West’s distillate. After two decades, the brand has released its first-ever bottled-in-bond product, a nearly 5 year-old, pot still rye made from a 100-percent rye mash (20 percent malted, 80 percent unmalted). The whiskey was distilled by High West at its facility in Wanship, Utah, and all barrels in this release were laid down in the back half of 2018.

Any distillery’s first bottled-in-bond release is noteworthy for fans. But apart from High West’s acolytes, is the new rye worth seeking out? Let’s dive in and see!

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey review.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye: Stats and Availability

High West’s first-ever bottled-in-bond rye was a limited release in the first quarter of 2024. Bottles were available online via High West’s website, which currently only ships to Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C. (The online stock has since sold out.) It was also distributed via some retailers in Utah and at High West Saloon in Park City. Suggested retail started at around $80, and due to the relatively small release and significant fanbase for High West products, some are already commanding a small premium on secondary markets.

But if you’re on the lookout for this bottle, fear not! High West has said it’s planning wider, national releases for the bottled-in-bond starting in 2025.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Longtime High West fans might be used to the familiar scent of mint and dill from products with MGP-sourced rye. While it certainly boasts herbal notes, High West’s first bottled-in-bond rye is immediately more grain-forward. The nose starts with nearly equal parts oak and porridge, the scents conveying both wood and rolled oats. There’s also a heavy sawdust component that gradually transforms into toasted oak.

Pronounced rye spice comes next, including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and fennel seed.

After those aromas come the herbal components. The familiar spearmint and dill long associated with MGP-heavy blends are nowhere to be found; instead, the whiskey emanates thyme, bay leaf, and oregano.

Compared to corn-heavy bourbon, I find rye often brings significantly more breadth in terms of potential scents. I searched for some sweeter components on this nose, and while not absent entirely, I would have welcomed a bit more in that realm to balance those semi-savory herbs.

Taste

While herbs took their time on the nose, they dominate the first sip. Sage, clove, and nutmeg hit the midpalate early. Only after they’ve registered do sweeter flavors activate toward the tip of the tongue. There’s a borderline-artificial nuttiness paired with the sweet, and it reminds me of packaged almond cookies from my Boy Scout days.

At first, it’s an unfamiliar profile in the context of High West’s rye (though that’s largely the point). Though from offputting, it’s significantly better on the second and third sips. The mouthfeel isn’t traditionally thick but still has a fatty, buttery quality that allows flavors to build on the palate. This helps make up for a somewhat-flat first impression on the tip of the tongue. It also creates an opportunity for a pleasing medley of fruit: blackberry, mulberry, and plum.

The final portion of flavors turn toward sweetened citrus; think lemon meringue pie, albeit with far more rye spice.

Finish

The finish is cooling, oaky, and long, like chewing on a menthol popsicle stick with aftershocks of cinnamon and blackberry. Only here do some of those classic, wintergreen-esque rye notes really have time to shine. They’re a fitting final act for the latest in a long line of High West rye whiskeys.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Rating

92/100

Recap

High West Bottled-in-Bond Rye is an admirable, first-of-its-kind offering from the brand. Most importantly, it shows the distillery’s in-house product can stand on its own two feet (and then some). For longtime fans, it’s a significant departure from familiar flavor profiles, but that certainly doesn’t equate to a massive dip in quality. Frankly, it holds up to — or beats — most of High West’s current blended and sourced products.

Were it more widely available, High West Bottled-in-Bond might be a fantastically versatile pour both neat and in cocktails, though the current price point and availability make that tough to justify. I’m excited to see how the profile evolves in subsequent years. And if High West ever decides to ever release a cask strength version of its pot still whiskey, I’ll be waiting in line to try it.

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92
POINTS
High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey
For almost 20 years, Utah’s High West has built its brand reputation on sourced whiskey blends and novel finishes. It’s especially known for blended rye, often made with a heavy component of MGP-sourced product. The annual “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” release — which still contains some sourced whiskey — is often cited as a tipping point in popularizing finished ryes for the American consumer. In recent years, the brand has begun incorporating more of its in-house distillate into products, gradually phasing out some components sourced out-of-state. Today, we’re focused entirely on High West’s distillate. After two decades, the brand has released its first-ever bottled-in-bond product, a nearly 5 year-old, pot still rye made from a 100-percent rye mash (20 percent malted, 80 percent unmalted). The whiskey was distilled by High West at its facility in Wanship, Utah, and all barrels in this release were laid down in the back half of 2018. Any distillery’s first bottled-in-bond release is noteworthy for fans. But apart from High West’s acolytes, is the new rye worth seeking out? Let’s dive in and see! High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey review.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye: Stats and Availability

High West’s first-ever bottled-in-bond rye was a limited release in the first quarter of 2024. Bottles were available online via High West’s website, which currently only ships to Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C. (The online stock has since sold out.) It was also distributed via some retailers in Utah and at High West Saloon in Park City. Suggested retail started at around $80, and due to the relatively small release and significant fanbase for High West products, some are already commanding a small premium on secondary markets. But if you’re on the lookout for this bottle, fear not! High West has said it’s planning wider, national releases for the bottled-in-bond starting in 2025.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Longtime High West fans might be used to the familiar scent of mint and dill from products with MGP-sourced rye. While it certainly boasts herbal notes, High West’s first bottled-in-bond rye is immediately more grain-forward. The nose starts with nearly equal parts oak and porridge, the scents conveying both wood and rolled oats. There’s also a heavy sawdust component that gradually transforms into toasted oak. Pronounced rye spice comes next, including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and fennel seed. After those aromas come the herbal components. The familiar spearmint and dill long associated with MGP-heavy blends are nowhere to be found; instead, the whiskey emanates thyme, bay leaf, and oregano. Compared to corn-heavy bourbon, I find rye often brings significantly more breadth in terms of potential scents. I searched for some sweeter components on this nose, and while not absent entirely, I would have welcomed a bit more in that realm to balance those semi-savory herbs.

Taste

While herbs took their time on the nose, they dominate the first sip. Sage, clove, and nutmeg hit the midpalate early. Only after they’ve registered do sweeter flavors activate toward the tip of the tongue. There’s a borderline-artificial nuttiness paired with the sweet, and it reminds me of packaged almond cookies from my Boy Scout days. At first, it’s an unfamiliar profile in the context of High West’s rye (though that’s largely the point). Though from offputting, it’s significantly better on the second and third sips. The mouthfeel isn’t traditionally thick but still has a fatty, buttery quality that allows flavors to build on the palate. This helps make up for a somewhat-flat first impression on the tip of the tongue. It also creates an opportunity for a pleasing medley of fruit: blackberry, mulberry, and plum. The final portion of flavors turn toward sweetened citrus; think lemon meringue pie, albeit with far more rye spice.

Finish

The finish is cooling, oaky, and long, like chewing on a menthol popsicle stick with aftershocks of cinnamon and blackberry. Only here do some of those classic, wintergreen-esque rye notes really have time to shine. They’re a fitting final act for the latest in a long line of High West rye whiskeys.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Rating

92/100

Recap

High West Bottled-in-Bond Rye is an admirable, first-of-its-kind offering from the brand. Most importantly, it shows the distillery’s in-house product can stand on its own two feet (and then some). For longtime fans, it’s a significant departure from familiar flavor profiles, but that certainly doesn’t equate to a massive dip in quality. Frankly, it holds up to — or beats — most of High West’s current blended and sourced products. Were it more widely available, High West Bottled-in-Bond might be a fantastically versatile pour both neat and in cocktails, though the current price point and availability make that tough to justify. I’m excited to see how the profile evolves in subsequent years. And if High West ever decides to ever release a cask strength version of its pot still whiskey, I’ll be waiting in line to try it.

Reviewed On: 04-04-2024
92
POINTS
High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey
For almost 20 years, Utah’s High West has built its brand reputation on sourced whiskey blends and novel finishes. It’s especially known for blended rye, often made with a heavy component of MGP-sourced product. The annual “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” release — which still contains some sourced whiskey — is often cited as a tipping point in popularizing finished ryes for the American consumer. In recent years, the brand has begun incorporating more of its in-house distillate into products, gradually phasing out some components sourced out-of-state. Today, we’re focused entirely on High West’s distillate. After two decades, the brand has released its first-ever bottled-in-bond product, a nearly 5 year-old, pot still rye made from a 100-percent rye mash (20 percent malted, 80 percent unmalted). The whiskey was distilled by High West at its facility in Wanship, Utah, and all barrels in this release were laid down in the back half of 2018. Any distillery’s first bottled-in-bond release is noteworthy for fans. But apart from High West’s acolytes, is the new rye worth seeking out? Let’s dive in and see! High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey review.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye: Stats and Availability

High West’s first-ever bottled-in-bond rye was a limited release in the first quarter of 2024. Bottles were available online via High West’s website, which currently only ships to Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C. (The online stock has since sold out.) It was also distributed via some retailers in Utah and at High West Saloon in Park City. Suggested retail started at around $80, and due to the relatively small release and significant fanbase for High West products, some are already commanding a small premium on secondary markets. But if you’re on the lookout for this bottle, fear not! High West has said it’s planning wider, national releases for the bottled-in-bond starting in 2025.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Longtime High West fans might be used to the familiar scent of mint and dill from products with MGP-sourced rye. While it certainly boasts herbal notes, High West’s first bottled-in-bond rye is immediately more grain-forward. The nose starts with nearly equal parts oak and porridge, the scents conveying both wood and rolled oats. There’s also a heavy sawdust component that gradually transforms into toasted oak. Pronounced rye spice comes next, including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and fennel seed. After those aromas come the herbal components. The familiar spearmint and dill long associated with MGP-heavy blends are nowhere to be found; instead, the whiskey emanates thyme, bay leaf, and oregano. Compared to corn-heavy bourbon, I find rye often brings significantly more breadth in terms of potential scents. I searched for some sweeter components on this nose, and while not absent entirely, I would have welcomed a bit more in that realm to balance those semi-savory herbs.

Taste

While herbs took their time on the nose, they dominate the first sip. Sage, clove, and nutmeg hit the midpalate early. Only after they’ve registered do sweeter flavors activate toward the tip of the tongue. There’s a borderline-artificial nuttiness paired with the sweet, and it reminds me of packaged almond cookies from my Boy Scout days. At first, it’s an unfamiliar profile in the context of High West’s rye (though that’s largely the point). Though from offputting, it’s significantly better on the second and third sips. The mouthfeel isn’t traditionally thick but still has a fatty, buttery quality that allows flavors to build on the palate. This helps make up for a somewhat-flat first impression on the tip of the tongue. It also creates an opportunity for a pleasing medley of fruit: blackberry, mulberry, and plum. The final portion of flavors turn toward sweetened citrus; think lemon meringue pie, albeit with far more rye spice.

Finish

The finish is cooling, oaky, and long, like chewing on a menthol popsicle stick with aftershocks of cinnamon and blackberry. Only here do some of those classic, wintergreen-esque rye notes really have time to shine. They’re a fitting final act for the latest in a long line of High West rye whiskeys.

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Rating

92/100

Recap

High West Bottled-in-Bond Rye is an admirable, first-of-its-kind offering from the brand. Most importantly, it shows the distillery’s in-house product can stand on its own two feet (and then some). For longtime fans, it’s a significant departure from familiar flavor profiles, but that certainly doesn’t equate to a massive dip in quality. Frankly, it holds up to — or beats — most of High West’s current blended and sourced products. Were it more widely available, High West Bottled-in-Bond might be a fantastically versatile pour both neat and in cocktails, though the current price point and availability make that tough to justify. I’m excited to see how the profile evolves in subsequent years. And if High West ever decides to ever release a cask strength version of its pot still whiskey, I’ll be waiting in line to try it.

Reviewed On: 04-04-2024