High West Double Rye!

 An unusual shotgun marriage of two rye whiskies from two different distilleries back east, DOUBLE RYE! ™ combines a feisty high rye 2-year-old and a saddle smooth 16-year-old. The younger rye has a mashbill with 95% rye/5% barley malt and the older has a more typical rye mashbill with 53% rye and 37% corn which adds just enough caramel sweetness and woody vanilla richness to calm the “bite” of the younger rye for a relationship that works.

The resulting combination is bold, balanced, complex and perfect for mixing. With a taste profile of cinnamon, clove, anise, eucalyptus buttons, evergreen “gin-like” flavors and a vibrant finish, DOUBLE RYE!™ is absolutely superb for sipping alone or sharing with other cowboys and good-looking strangers.

Marriage of two straight rye whiskies:

The 2-year-old (Source - LDI now MGP) mashbill:

•95% rye

•5% barley malt mashbill

The older rye (Source - Barton Distillery) has a "barely legal" rye mashbill of:

•53% rye

•37% corn

Tasting Notes

Nose: mint, clove, cinnamon, licorice root, pine nuts, and dark chocolate, with a surprising dose of gin botanicals throughout

Taste: Immediate rye punch of prickly spices, then Gin, menthol, mint, eucalyptus, wildflower honey, and confectioners sugar flavors abound.

Awards/Accolades

93 Points (Exceptional)- Beverage Testing Institute

International Review of Spirits Award: Gold Medal

90 Points- JOHN HANSELL, MALT ADVOCATE MAGAZINE

"Superb/Outstanding"- JASON PYLE, sourmashmanifesto.com

97 Points- Matt Colglazier, americancraftspirits.com

A- Rating- Christopher Null, Drinkhacker.com

DrinkHacker.com - There is indeed an exclamation point in the official name of High West Whiskey's latest, cryptic release. I'm not sure how Utah-based High West manages to mix cowboy imagery and metaphors with next-gen, experimental spirit-making technology, but somehow it does. The company now has about a dozen liquors, mostly whiskey, and we've gotten our hands on the latest.Double Rye! is not merely a "double" rye -- meant to be consumed in twice the quantity -- rather, it's a blend of two rye whiskies with very different compositions. One is an old 16-year-old (53% rye, 37% corn, 10% mystery). One is a fresh 2-year-old (95% rye, 5% barley).The result: An oddball indeed, but an enjoyable one. Big rye notes on the nose. This is a whiskey driven by the youngest spirit in the blend, and the woodsy, herbal, and -- most blatantly -- menthol-like flavors dominate. The corn in the old rye balances this intensity with some sweetness, but I think it could use a bit more; perhaps things could have been skewed a bit toward the older whiskey in the blend. This is ultimately a very drinkable whiskey, tough and rustic thanks to its baby component, but tricked out with some curious points here and there owing to its older counterpart. Tertiary character is intriguing yet difficult to grasp: Caramel, coal, root beer, licorice/fennel, and a touch of wood smoke. They're there, but you have to keep going back to the spirit to suss them out. Heh, maybe it really is a "double" rye after all. Surprisingly easygoing at 92 proof. Reviewed: Bottle #98 from batch #1.