High West Double Rye

This evening I plan to post on something new -- something other than single malt scotch whisky. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone to think that all I thought about was scotch whisky. I have other interests in life besides scotch whisky. For example, rye whisky.

When I first knew about whisky, back in the late fifties and through the mid-sixties, the biggest selling whiskies, in fact the biggest selling spirits of any kind, were blended rye whiskies. Or more accurately, they could be described as grain whiskies, because I don't think they were made solely from rye. But anyway, Seagrams 7 Crown, Canadian Club, Seagrams VO (my dad's drink), outsold everything else on the market. And the predominant taste, or the grain that gave these blends their flavor, was rye.  Back in those days, when someone ordered a classic highball -- rye and ginger -- the bartender would typically pour a blend like 7 Crown. Remember the seven and seven? That was a giveaway that one was underage, but at the right establishments, who cared?

But even though blends were the top selling labels, it was very hard to find straight rye whisky. I recall Old Overholt; however, if my dad sold one bottle of Old Overholt every month, that was a lot. But now that spirits are back, and especially with the emergence of craft distilleries, American rye whisky is making a huge comeback. With good reason. We've posted in the past about Potrero; I've tried Wild Turkey's six year old rye, called Russell's Reserve I think (after master distiller Jimmy Russell); Van Winkle makes perhaps the finest rye, but good luck finding a bottle of that anywhere;  and Sazerac has been the local rye for all manner of cocktails; but at this year's Whisky Lovers Ball I was introduced to High West Double Rye, which is bottled in Park City Utah of all places. Now I don't know whether Utah has overcome its hostility toward alcoholic beverages, but the last time we visited Utah, one could not order a drink without also ordering food. In fact, one could not walk into a bar without a prior membership. And as I recall, when one ordered spirits, they were served as miniatures, not poured from a bottle. Now that, of course, would limit one's choice of beverages. Do you think Highland Park sells little 50 ml. bottles of their 15 and 18?

In any event, here it is 2012, and I guess there is a distillery right smack in Park City.  Our friends Stacy and Martine were traveling out west, spent some time in Park City, and were kind enough to bring back a bottle of this excellent rye whisky. 46% - not chill filtered. Even though High West has a distillery in Park City, this rye is apparently distilled elsewhere. And the label says it's a blend of two ryes - one young and made mainly (95%) from rye, with just a touch of barley; and the other whisky 16 years old and made from rye and corn. So the young rye gives High West its spicy character, and the older spirit smooths out the bite of the younger whisky and also adds some sweetness, I'm guessing from the corn. This is really a terrific whisky, full of contrasts. It has a bite, but is smooth and mellow at the same time. It's spicy, with a touch of sweetness, but is dry and crisp at the same time. I'll bet it makes a great old fashioned, or would be a terrific backbone to the Rock and Rye I've been making. However, it's so good when drunk neat that I can't quite bring myself to mix it with anything. Remember in The Big Sleep, when Lauren Bacall's father offers Bogart a brandy, and asks him how he takes it? Bogart replies, "In a glass." That's the best way to drink this High West Double Rye, I think. In a glass.