High West The Noble Share Review

High West The Noble Share Review

Utah’s High West is no stranger to finished whiskeys. Indeed, the brand’s annual A Midwinter Night’s Dram helped bring port-finished rye mainstream, and it remains one of the holiday season’s most anticipated releases. (And this year’s Act 12 was quite good!) More recently, we’ve seen the Constellation-owned distillery collaborate with other brands in the same corporate portfolio, perhaps most notably with another series of wine-finished releases dubbed The Prisoner’s Share.

This time around, High West’s team has their sights set on an agave finish, specifically via extra añejo tequila. The result is “The Noble Share,” a blend of straight rye whiskeys finished in Marques de Casa Noble extra añejo barrels for six months. (Constellation Brands also owns Casa Noble.)

The Noble Share starts as a blend of straight ryes aged between four and 10 years. An unspecified percentage of that whiskey is the famed 95 percent rye mash bill sourced from MGP. The rest is High West’s in-house distillate made from 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted rye, the same recipe as its recent bottled-in-bond release.

Importantly, those Casa Noble barrels weren’t the only finishing casks used. According to High West, “A portion of the blend is finished in Amburana barrels at a char of 3 or medium toast treatments for a small period to elevate the whiskey even further.” (Other marketing collateral clarifies it’s a “small portion” of the total blend without providing percentages.)

Rye from two different distilleries meets tequila barrels, with a little amburana blended in for good measure. Let’s see how The Noble Share tastes!

High West The Noble Share: Stats and Availability

The Noble Share is a limited offering with an MSRP of around $175. It’s available at select retailers nationwide, and there will be some limited stock available on High West’s website. (The brand can currently only ship to Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C.)

While the price tag isn’t quite into ultra-premium territory, at $175, it’s priced $25 above A Midwinter Night’s Dram. My guess is we’ll see this hover around retail in many markets, with some listings ticking over $200. With an American whiskey market that seems to have recently cooled off on premium markups, this may be accessible at close to MSRP.

There’s no word on whether High West will continue the release in subsequent seasons or years. The Prisoner’s Share was released in two consecutive years and then either paused or discontinued.

High West The Noble Share Review

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

Nose

Compared to products like A Midwinter Night’s Dram or The Prisoner’s Share, the nose is a little timid at first. Fans of High West’s wine-finished whiskeys may be surprised to find subtler layers here.

But that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in complexity. Early on, light rye spice joins freshly baked bread, gingersnaps, and lemon curd as initial scents. The lemon starts sweet and evolves to something a bit more pungent and bitter with time, from curd to zest and finally rind. Floral elements — lavender and gardenia — persist throughout, peaking alongside the initial spice but never quite falling away entirely.

Deeper, richer, darker wood-forward spices layer in next: cinnamon sticks, dried juniper berries, and whole black and green peppercorns. Almost despite that noticeable wood spice, the intersection of floral components and juniper give this whiskey a mildly gin-like quality.

It’s here I sense the greatest impact of amburana, an influence all too often overdone — and overpowering — in finished American whiskeys. With The Noble Share, however, that impact is tamed, and there’s just enough of spicy/earthy amburana to elevate otherwise delicate aromas to the forefront. The underlying whiskey and floral agave shine on the nose; amburana is just punching up the dial a point or two.

Taste

Grapefruit candy leads on the first sip, carried forcefully across the tongue by a thick (though not quite syrupy) mouth feel. The citrus has true staying power, above and beyond the level common to either of the mashbills used in the blend.

Diluted honey syrup, pineapple, orange soda, and cream soda hit next. (For brief seconds, the palate borders on a creamsicle.) Those are followed closely thereafter by a wave of potent spices. Flecks of cinnamon punctuate the citrus and honey, along with anise and clove. Mild savory elements follow, and the entire midpalate evokes a pineapple-glazed ham, never quite losing that underlying sweetness.

After the midpalate, the whiskey takes a turn toward the bitter: gentian root, chicory, and tart bergamot orange rind pair well with oak. But while the shift is pronounced, there’s elegance here. Instead of a sudden and unexpected jolt, it feels like a logical next step in the flavor progression, as if the citrus flavors — and the gradual buildup of oak — had been guiding us there the entire time.

Finish

Tart citrus leads on a long finish once again at the juncture of orange, lemon, and grapefruit peels. that leans back into floral notes in addition to lightly herbal and grassy flavors. It’s perhaps the most agave-forward stage of the entire experience — and a fitting end to a pour branded at the intersection of whiskey and aged tequila.

High West The Noble Share Rating

90/100

Recap

With The Noble Share, High West has pulled off quite the balancing act in melding rye with tequila influence. The (restrained) addition of amburana was a deft touch, one that elevates without crowding out other flavors. To my palate, it’s not the richest or most complex of High West’s finished blends; there were moments where I craved a bit more oomph. But overall, not every new product has to be the most powerful conduit for flavor. The Noble Share accomplishes its task well, and it’s a pleasant sip I’d happily return to.

As of 2024, VinePair no longer participates in any affiliate programs. All links included in our content are as a convenience to our readers, not for earning commission — we receive no monetary value from them. Learn more about our tastings & review department here!

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