High West Double Rye! Barrel Select Aquavit Binny's Store Pick

To kick off a short High West series is a rye that was finished in an Aquavit cask. I had no idea what Aquavit is, so a quick search revealed that it's a neutral spirit distilled from grain or potato (much like vodka or gin), that is commonly flavored with caraway as its primary spice, though dill is also common and it is mainly produced in Scandinavia. The aroma starts with a blend of mild sour lemon, dill, wintergreen, and toasted caraway seeds, then chocolate-covered toasted marshmallow, followed by grapefruit, sour apple, and orange zest that transitions to aniseed and charred pine cones with a moderate ethanol burn. The taste is a medium texture starting with a moderate sour and spicy bitterness that slowly fades to toasted almonds and cacao nibs, followed by sour apple and tangerine orange that transitions to dill, spearmint, aniseed, and charred pine cones with a moderate ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sour lemon, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow, dill, and burnt caraway seeds. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable dram that has a youthful sourness along with rye, light sweetness, and some charred forest notes that has an off-putting moderate bitter spice to start on the palate before fading to those notes on the aroma and finishes sour and earthy with light sweet notes. Thanks to a friend for the generous sample.

The aroma is honey. The taste is sweet with a touch of smoke and chocolate, finishing with rye spice.