Glenmorangie A Midwinter Night's Dram Single Malt Whisky

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If I had to take a stab at it, I would say that the finishing barrels were either worn out from overuse or that if they were newly sourced and that the Port style/producer had changed. The Port was definitely thinner and the youthful rye whiskey was harder to disguise. Last year, the brand celebrated the whiskey’s 10th anniversary with a dual release: Act 10 in the series and a commemorative bottling dubbed The Encore. Developing two whiskeys as opposed to one, Coyle said, made everyone a bit crazy, so for this year’s release, they wanted to take their time. “We’ll do some more fun riffs off it in the future. But for right now, for this year, for next year, we’re focusing on what got us here.” They give no age statements for either rye whiskey, but it is safe to assume the MGP component still is around six years old and the High West distillate likely falls in line with what that year’s Rendezvous Rye recipe says they use. I wouldn’t say you’re going to see a saturation of Midwinter in the marketplace. That’s not going to happen,” he said. “You’re going to see us in more places. Definitely international, which is really exciting, but also in some more places in the US as well. We have a bigger footprint now, which is cool.”

Palate: The fruit and rye notes are just as well integrated on the tongue. Port wine adds just the right amount of sweetness with complimentary orange/lemon zest and cherry juice. On the nose: The initial impression is of caramelized brown sugar meeting a gentle note of dill, the latter being a telltale sign of MGP whiskey. There’s definitely the rich and round aroma of vintage port, but also some subtly smoky notes of campfire. With time in the glass this starts to take on the meaty, ferric quality of beef blood. The Park City, Utah, distillery High West announced the annual release of A Midwinter Night’s Dram on Wednesday. The culty, cold weather-centric expression will arrive just in time for Autumn imbibing and is set to hit shelves on Oct. 8 in the U.S. Nose: The nose on this one does not seem nearly as sharp and powerful as Act 5. There are scents of sweet vanilla, light herbal notes like mint and tarragon, wildflower honey, sweet hay and cherry blossoms. Scents of a “Hot Toddy” also prevail. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise.

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Taste: Dark fruits like fig and plum jam on rye toast are plentiful in this expression, coupled with cranberry, gingerbread, hot chocolate, brandied cherries and peppermint mocha. Mash Bill: Blend of 95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP; 80% rye, 20% malted rye from High West distillate This was evident to me by the steady improvement of Acts 8 and 9. But if Act 10 is any indication, MWND no longer belongs in the category of desirable annual releases. I’m sure me saying that will have no sway on the die-hards of the brand or the flippers that buy up as many bottles as they can to flip.

MWND A9S4 has no alcohol nip or burn when first brought to the nose. Most aromas are faint but I do get notes of sherry wine, which I am sure is due to the port barrel finishing. I also sense dusty grain, some tobacco laid out in the sun to dry, red grapes and plump gourmet raisins nestled in a mixture of bready cinnamon and rye. The sweets are faint as well, just a touch of light vanilla, some nearly burnt brown sugar, and roasted hazel and pinenuts. Even the earthy woodiness is muted, with just the faint aroma of seasoned wood toasted to a light char coming through. HIGH WEST A MIDWINTER NIGHTS DRAM ACT 9 SCENE 4 PALATE: This also comes with a finish in somewhat exotic casks, at least in American terms. You’ve got French oak (though with no mention of the predecessor libation, if any, that these barrels held) and Port casks, the latter of which will be familiar to Scotch whisky drinkers. Though finished whiskey is appearing with increasing frequency (and mixed results) in the U.S., these expressions are still a minority exception to the majority rule of new, charred oak. So just because High West doesn’t necessarily use the term French Oak anymore doesn’t mean that they did some big change. But tasting each one might reveal more about what’s true and what’s not true.

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You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account. In recent years, High West has transitioned Rendezvous to a blend of MGP (95 percent rye, 5 percent malted barley) and in-house distillate (80 percent rye, 20 percent malted rye). Longtime Midwinter drinkers claim to notice a significant difference between those earlier releases and Acts 8 and beyond (me among them, to be transparent). We’re likely witnessing MWND’s twilight years as it rides off into the sunset of famous whiskies that just couldn’t maintain their once-hallowed status. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. It’s still a pleasant nose and identifiable as Midwinter’s Night Dram, but it’s likely the youth that is creating this difference. Sharp cinnamon, mint and oregano and honey combine with the fruit notes that come with the port wine.

High West Midwinter’s Night Dram (commonly referred to as MWND among enthusiasts) is the most anticipated release coming out of High West each year. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819.High West unveiled its annual A Midwinter Night’s Dram expression. This is Act 11. (Photo: High West) High West has announced the 2023 release of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, an annual, limited release of High West Rendezvous Rye finished in French oak Ruby and Tawny Portbarrels. There was no A Midwinter Night’s Dram available in the saloon at the time – or I don’t remember it in the flight we tasted, in any case – but they did have Double Rye! and Rendezvous Rye. My brother and I had an enjoyable visit, and we enjoyed the the flight.

Nose: Compared to Acts 5 and 6, the rye notes on Act 7 come off as much sharper. The port wine notes are affected by this and are somewhat secondary when you put your nose up to the glass.

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Finish: A mix of sweet and savory notes linger on the tongue. There is a mix of green herbal notes and and red wine. The spice is more balanced and less harsh than it was on the palate.