A step up from the Double Rye, the High West Rendezvous Rye is one hell of a ride. An artful blend of young LDI and old Barton rye whiskeys blended together in a way that beautifully displays the unique properties of each. From the old rye you get the warm, rounded, sweet and woody notes and from the young one you get the more assertive rye spice and dill. The best of both worlds with maturity tempering the youthful grainy bite and youth adding lively spice to the mellowed maturity.
At this point in the game there is no use even attempting to deny that High West is exceptionally good at what they do. Their skill in sourcing and blending whiskey from other distilleries to make something new, unique and all their own is unmatched. Quite often while a distillery is waiting for their own whiskey to age they will just sell “moonshine” (un-aged / white whiskey) or vodka, both of which they do. Sometimes they even just outright slap a label on someone else’s whiskey and call it a day (which HW also does). It’s much more rare to see folks taking time to actually source and then blend such great stuff like this.
Overall this is another whiskey from High West that I truly enjoy. I love how the rounded, almost bourbon like, sweetness and soft wooden character of the older rye mixes and balances so well with the sharp assertive qualities of the young rye; weaving a bit of a bite through the more refined and complex dessert and spice notes. Artfully crafted, they were able to balance the strengths of each to create something truly tasty and unique.
High West Rendezvous Rye Review
Batch: 11
Bottle: 701
ABV: 46%
Price: $48
Distiller: LDI & Barton
Blend and mashbill: LDI straight 6 yr rye whiskey (95% rye & 5% barley malt) and Barton straight 16 yr rye whiskey (80% rye, 10% corn & 10% barley malt)
EYE
Dark amber
NOSE
Rye spice! Big rolling waves of rye spice accompanied by notes of butterscotch, dill and caramel. Hints of vanilla, strawberry heavy dark fruit and a sliver of wood ride the waves.
TASTE
Rye, caramel and dill come rolling out of the glass and combine with some dark fruit leather, wood and citrus to create a wonderfully coating flavor. Pepper and new leather come in at the end with a hint of raw grains and a mild astringent underpinning.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced for the most part with a round and full body. It runs a bit hot but it’s not distracting.
FINISH
Rye rules the aftertaste with oak finally making a big showing and bringing some citrus and pepper along with it on a long slow fade to an ambiguous sweetness.
SCORE: 91/100
