Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 93 |
| Style |
American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Utah United States |
| ABV | 51% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $175.00 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Reviewed | 2025-08-12 |
High West The Prisoner's Share (2025) Review
Originally released in 2022, High West’s The Prisoner’s Share is a wine barrel-finished blend of straight whiskeys that feature multiple liquid streams including both bourbon and rye. The blend returned in 2023 then took a year off before once again returning this summer. Like its predecessors, this Prisoner’s Share was finished in French oak barrels that previously held The Prisoner Red Blend. That’s in contrast to the company’s famed A Midwinter Night’s Dram, which is generally a blend of rye whiskeys finished in ex-port casks. (High West and The Prisoner Wine Company share a parent company, Constellation Brands.)
This year’s blend contains whiskeys aged between four and 12 years. Those initial straight whiskeys are generally believed to come from the following mash bills, three of bourbon and two of rye:
- 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, 4 percent malted barley bourbon from MGP
- 60 percent corn and 40 percent rye bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company
- 78 percent corn, 10 percent rye, 12 percent malted barley from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery
- 95 percent rye, 5 percent malted barley from MGP
- 80 percent rye, 20 percent malted rye from High West’s own distillery
As with most of its contemporary blends, High West does not disclose the exact proportions therein.
After additional aging in those ex-Prisoner Red Blend barrels, the whiskey is bottled at 102 proof. Let’s see how this third iteration tastes!
High West The Prisoner's Share (2025) Stats and Availability
High West’s The Prisoner’s Share maintains the same price in 2025 as it did in 2023: an MSRP of $174.99. While supplies last, this bottling is available at High West’s Park City Saloon, as well as online to a handful of states. Additionally, it will receive some limited distribution to retailers nationwide.
I saw the 2023 version for a range of prices at retail, but it’s undeniable the premium American whiskey market has cooled off a bit since then. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this limited bottling at or close to MSRP in many locations, so keep an eye out if you’re in the market.
This year’s expression combines straight bourbon and rye whiskeys finished in The Prisoner Red Wine Barrels for four to 12 years. The unique finishing process creates a complex flavor profile that sets this release apart from traditional American whiskeys.
High West The Prisoner's Share (2025) Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
Bold, spiced, and (initially) decadently sweet on the nose, this latest Prisoner’s Share is similar to its predecessors in that red fruit is an immediate highlight. But that class of scents is perhaps a little less pronounced compared to the 2023 batch, which allows aromas of citrus peel (bergamot and grapefruit, specifically), praline, almond extract, marmalade on toast, and semi-dark chocolate to flourish. Some sour elements eventually waft out of the glass, including tart cherry juice, but they never quite decouple from the underlying sweetness.
It may actually be more complex here than the previous two batches (neither of which were exactly slouches on the nose). But one thing they share in common is a component of herbal mint that increases with time, and it’s likely some of the 95 percent rye is showing its full strength here. Similarly, mixed variety peppercorns are also increasingly noticeable, which ultimately gives the fruit notes a moderately spiced character.
Taste
Dark, mildly tannic fruit leads on the first sip: preserved figs and dried apricot, along with strong black tea and a little pipe tobacco. Jammy, brandy-soaked raisins build toward the midpalate, and combined with a little allspice and nutmeg, the combination of flavors evokes holiday dessert. (This is one I’d already recommend sipping in front of a hearth fire, if you happen to have one handy.) Spiced and cherry colas are up next, though their presence is perhaps a bit more fleeting than I would have liked; I half expected the cola note to carry through to the finish, but it stops a bit short of that.
After a few more sips, dark chocolate and mocha pair with some black cherry, but none of these flavors come close to cloying or overpoweringly sweet. They’re attenuated somewhat by underlying rye spice — clove oil is prominent — and other menthol-adjacent herbs. By the backplate, the blend’s rye is fully in the driver’s seat, those herbal and dry spiced flavors flourishing with sweeter elements receding.
Finish
The finish is again heavy on herbal rye, particularly mint jelly and more citrus peel. A small pop of cranberry sauce — pairing nicely with the green mint — bookends the dram with a mixture of sweet and tart.
High West The Prisoner's Share (2025) Rating
93/100
Recap
This latest version of The Prisoner’s Share hits about the same level of quality as the 2023 batch, and for those keeping track, that’s a very good thing. In comparing the two, this new bottling has a bit more composure throughout (and perhaps a superior nose), though I did miss a little bit of that quirky nuttiness on the palate. But in the aggregate and across nose, taste, and finish, this one deservedly gets equal marks.
Like the related (but thankfully different enough) A Midwinter Night’s Dram, The Prisoners Share is the kind of whiskey best appreciated as the weather cools off. I just hope my bottle lasts long enough.
*Image retrieved from High West Distillery
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