High West American Prairie Bourbon Barrel Select

Taste: Neat 2 oz in glen cairn, fresh bottle. This is Binny's barrel 12118 and bottle 173. Finished 1yr 4 months in brandy cask. Proof is 103.6 Nose (3.5): Butterscotch candy is dominant. There's some light oak and ethanol that quickly gives way to red fruit. It's not the most complex but sufficient to be distinct. Very direct and enjoyable. Palate: (4.0) Starts a bit sweeter with the brandy upfront. It reminds me of my grandmother's candy dish—fond memories of gold butterscotch candies and caramel creams. Ripe red fruits appear, followed by a surprising peppery kick. The palate is more complex than the nose. This is intriguing. Finish: (3.75) Longer than anticipated. Slightly drying. Newer oak. Once the pepper and oak fade, a hint of honey concludes it. Overall: This is interesting. Combining what seems to me like a more rye-forward whiskey with the sweetness and richness of brandy is successful. I enjoy what's in this bottle! For $39.99, it makes you wonder—why haven't we finished whiskey in brandy casks more often? It was comparable to the more recent MWND releases (post act 6) for me at half the price. Not as full and rich, but certainly a digestif. If price were the deciding factor, this would be a 4. I try to evaluate the liquid itself, but one cannot disregard its value at its extremely low price point. A single barrel finished selection for under $40???? You decide.

The next High West expression in my series is their American Prairie, which was finished in brandy casks and bottled at 51% ABV. The aroma begins with a combination of light sour lemon, grape must, and pipe tobacco, followed by dark chocolate-covered almonds, then pears, prunes, and peach ring candy. This transitions to mild earthy notes of leather and dusty oak, with a slight ethanol burn. The taste has a medium mouthfeel, starting with creamy fruits before shifting to a mild bitter spice that slowly fades into grape juice and pipe tobacco. Then comes dark chocolate-covered toasted marshmallow, followed by baked pears, apples, and orange zest. This transitions to black pepper, leather, and a mild bitter black tea, with a moderate ethanol burn. The finish is medium in length, featuring dark chocolate, espresso, freeze-dried apples, raisins, ginger, and a mild bitter oak spice. This is a very enjoyable dram that enhances typical bourbon flavors with the brandy finish adding extra complexity. However, the balance is slightly off, with some mild bitterness on the palate and finish. These appear to cost under $40, which is a fantastic price for a tasty bourbon with brandy notes that would serve well as a daily drinker. I'm not sure how a friend finds all these great value picks, but a huge thank you for sharing this with me.

Neat. Sample. 101 proof finished in Armagnac casks. The Armagnac year continues! Bardstown, Cigar Blend. It might be my preferred finishing now. First time with this High West. I genuinely adore the aroma of Armagnac. Initially, it seems to overpower this Whiskey. It's all I perceive at first. Butterscotch and toffee as I explore further. Really pleasant dark maple. Some strawberry notes as well. Solid. Understated yet crisp and inviting. Syrupy texture. Thick and oily. Maple sweetness arrives first, but those strawberries are immediately present too. Butterscotch and Armagnac come through strongly. Butterscotch lingers significantly on the finish and legs. Toffee also appears. There's a sudden and unexpected burst of vanilla in the mid-palate. It's interesting because it's a fairly medium to dark whiskey, but then you get this sudden vanilla spike in the mid-palate before it returns to the finish. The Armagnac is also enhancing the legs, lasting much longer than the proof might suggest. This isn't on the same level as Bardstown or Cigar Blend, but for its price, it's an excellent finished Whiskey. Ideal if I desired Armagnac but didn't feel it warranted a special pour. I would purchase this if the opportunity arose.

Consumed neat. This is a sample. It was finished for 1.5 years in Armagnac barrels. To be honest, I hadn't heard of Armagnac before 2020, and now it seems to be everywhere! Bardstown was astonishing a month ago, and now I'm finding Armagnac finishes in other brands. The aroma is incredibly rich and dense. It's like a deep, heavy glaze, similar to a reduction sauce or even ice wine. The Armagnac influence is very prominent and forceful. It's both amazing and strangely off-putting. Beneath the glaze, there's a heavy plum note from the finish. As you explore further, familiar caramel and even butterscotch notes emerge with an attractive sweetness. The texture is rich and oily, just as the nose suggested. It feels heavy and dark on the palate with a sweet stone fruit flavor. However, it quickly brightens and delivers a significant impact. Sourness from orange peel transitions to vanilla and caramel notes. But the caramel intensifies into a rock candy sweetness. A surprising amount of oak remains evident. It pairs with cherry cola. I'm all over the place with this one. I used up the sample trying to dissect this experience. I really appreciate Armagnac finishes. I would purchase this if I ever came across it.

This spirit has 51% ABV and underwent a secondary aging process in Brandy barrels. I've sampled the standard American Prairie, which I considered an average to slightly above-average bourbon. This one was $34, so I felt it was worth trying. There was also a Double Rye Barrel Select that had been secondarily aged in Grenache barrels, which I skipped. I tasted this alongside the MWND, and the MW is clearly the superior whiskey; the blend of deep dark fruit with the herbal rye is quite pleasing, but this is a fulfilling drink on its own, especially considering it costs about 40% of the MW. There's a hint of Brandy on the nose along with pear, with underlying bourbon vanilla/caramel notes, but the palate begins with juicy pear before shifting to a spicy bourbon finish reminiscent of rye. The finish concludes with a slightly bitter note, suggesting the base bourbon is fairly unremarkable, but overall, I'm quite happy with this, particularly given the price.

(2021 Edition) A robust, Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey from the founders of High West Distillery in Park City, Utah. It rests in new, American white oak; then is finished in a peated whiskey cask and bottled at 100 proof. It supports the American Prairie Reserve's objective to protect the nature and wildlife of the American West. It begins aromatically with notes of grain, fruit, wood, earth, smoke & spices; while a rich & complex development adds notes of cornbread, honey, vanilla, caramel apple, nougat, peat, cherry & brown sugar; leading to a balanced conclusion of moderate length with notes of candy corn, toasted oak, sea spray, camphor & peat smoke. December 2021 / August 2022