A Midwinter Night's Dram - Review

Take pains; be perfect.

-Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act I Scene II

William Shakespeare

A Midwinter Night’s Dram.

Act 6, Scene 6

Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys

Finished in French oak Port barrels

Blended and bottled by High West Distilling – Park City, Utah

98.6 Proof

$120

A great whiskey, like a great work of literature, can be defined by how it’s finished.

Not to overly simplify, but the core engine in most whiskeys remains the same; a mashbill of corn, rye, barley, fermented to produce alcohol (“white dog” or “white lightning”), aged in charred new oak barrels - a long rest with variable temperatures to infuse the white dog with the complex flavors pulled from the wood. Each distillery turns the dials to produce their juice – more corn here, lighter char there, higher temperature fluctuations, etc… And of course, that variation is more than enough to produce specific and distinct flavors, styles, brands, and rabid fans.

Sometime in the late 00’s, the whiskey boom hit the world. As a devoted curator of whiskeys, the explosion hit this author with mixed feelings, to say the least. On one hand, getting your hands on a much wider range of spirits was great, and being able to get good whiskeys at almost any bar was now no longer a challenge. On the other hand, with more demand and a stagnant supply (it takes time to age whiskey!), prices went up, and delicious but “common” bottles I loved disappeared from shelves entirely.

Of course, this boom hit the supply side too. Now, whiskey is both “cool” and profitable, and suddenly dormant distillers and new players dove in the pool. This created something of an arms race among the smaller players to distinguish themselves among the bourgeoning world of distilleries. One way to be unique, without the need for years of patience to get your novel product to market, is finishing.

Finishing, or “double maturing,” is the process of taking matured whiskeys (aged in NEW oak barrels, for all American bourbons and most ryes) and re-resting them in different casks or barrels.  Often time, these are used barrels that previously aged port, sherry, madeira, burgundy, or rum. The idea is that with a six month or so rest in the second cask, the spirit will pull flavors, sugars and notes from both the secondary barrel’s wood and the spirit it previously contained.

For example, Angel’s Envy is a relatively new distillery in the game, but made its entire brand identity on just two products – a port barrel finished bourbon, and a rum cask finished rye. Both will get reviews here at The Whiskey to Life, and (spoiler alert) both are incredibly fine spirits. I’ll also be reviewing The Balvenie’s Doublewood, which is finished in Sherry Casks, and Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye, which is not aged in port barrels, but is directly blended with port achieving a similar but altogether unique spirit.

Back to the matter at hand – A Midwinter Night’s Dram - a whiskey they made following Bottom's advice; they took pains to be perfect. 

Way back in February 2014, the High West Distilling Company outside of Park City, Utah, gave the world a limited release timed with Valentine’s Day. They called it A Midwinter Night’s Dram, which is apropos on many levels, as this whiskey feels like it came from a fever dream. In the best way possible.

High West took its Rendezvous Rye, itself a blend of high-rye whiskeys, and finished them in French oak port barrels. The port delivering dried fruit and brown sugar notes, working in harmony with the rye’s in-your-face notes of cinnamon and caramel, and the French oaks spice. The song they sing would make Shakespeare proud, a dance of incongruous steps impossibly creating a magic balance. Perhaps the magic is that it is comforting, rich, fruity and spicy like the best holiday fruit cake (should be).

At “body temperature proof,” A Midwinter Night’s Dram has an intensity behind those subtle notes. I imagine the “whiskey hug” here serves a great purpose in those freezing Utah winters. The nose is complex, with clove, cocoa, cinnamon and plums front and center. The mouth feel is both silky and full, with the bitter dancing with the sweet delightfully on the tongue. The second sip is the real delight. Once the attack settles, the blackberry and fig tones sing. The finish lingers with cinnamon and light vanilla notes. The whole experience is comforting, like a Christmas sweater and a roaring fire.  

A Midwinter Night’s Dram is my celebration whiskey. It’s too rare and too pricey to be an everyday pour. When new friends learn I swim in these whiskey waters, the first question I usually get is, “what’s your favorite?” An impossible question, and an impossible answer. If I had to pick one “desert island dram” though, it would be this.

I mentioned the double-edged sword of the whiskey boom. This delightful treat of a spirit used to be fairly easy to get your hands on for the first few acts. This year, at my local and beloved whiskey shop, I was limited to one bottle – as that’s all they had left after being on the shelf for 24 hours. Maybe I should be telling you not to scoop these up – more for me, right! - but that would be disingenuous.  

This is a fall-seasonal release, and if you can find a bottle, buy it. Drink it or gift it, either way, someone will be very happy with it. This year’s batch (Act 6) is as good as ever.

And if you see a bottle and don’t get it, heed the words of Puck:

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

-Puck, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene II

William Shakespeare

The Whiskey to Life Rating:

5 Drams