Your questions for High West Distillery

One from @victor from an earlier thread:

Please ask High West when I will be able to buy a bottle of their High West Silver Whiskey Western Oat undiluted. One of their reps once gave me a sample of the undiluted product, 62.5% ABV. It was amazing!

Thanks @jeanluc! @Pierre, will they manufacture snow so that you can ski in? It is sad that you will have to miss that experience just because you happened to visit in June.

@Victor as far as I know they aren't rolling out the ski carpet!!

I'm curious if they have any plans to bring any of their products to Canada. Specifically Ontario and the LCBO.

I suppose another couple of questions, although I'm not sure how honest of an answer you're likely to get, is regarding the acquisition by Constellation. In what way has it impacted the company? Is it influencing their approach to making whisky? What about their marketing and distribution? Or are they taking a hands-off approach, merely acting as a big money chest, giving High West the freedom to do things more and better?

The questions which no one can answer yet are the ones to which I most want to know the answers: 1) what will the aged products from their own distillery taste like?, 2) will the aged products from their own distillery taste good?, and 3) will the aged products from their own distillery taste much like the sourced whiskeys they have been selling and on which they have based most of their current reputation?

I suspect that the answers are 1) we won't know for a few years yet, 2) probably yes, they will taste good, but maybe not as good as the MGPI, Barton, etc., distillate products which they sell now, and 3) they will likely be very noticeably different from their sourced products distilled elswhere.

I asked the oat whiskey question, above, largely because the answer to that one is something already completely under their control. They already make their own oat whiskey. I have already tasted their own oat whiskey both at 40% ABV and at 62.5% ABV. I already like their own oat whiskey, undiluted. All they would have to do to have a premium undiluted oat whiskey specialty product is to bottle what they are already making. Yeah, yeah, I know...not everybody is a fan of oat whiskey. But, also true is that practically no one has tasted that 62.5% ABV oat spirit that I have.

Victor's latest post made me wonder about High West's future output.

Are they planning to eventually switch over to using only their own in-house produced whisky? Or do they see sourced releases co-existing with their own production? And if they will be phasing out the use of sourced whisky, are they then planning to retire existing expressions? Or will they start replacing the sourced whisky in existing brands with their own produced whisky?

I also am intensely interested in getting the answers to the questions asked by @Nelom.

While I had more or less assumed that High West would want to progressively phase out their sourced whiskey program and replace it with the production from their own distillery, I do think that a product like Rendezvous Rye will be a very tough act to follow, with respect to quality and taste profile. A sourced blend of rye whiskies from two distilleries creates its own unique taste profile. I would hate to see the current taste profile of Rendezvous Rye discontinued. If I had to guess on the subject, I would guess that they will either discontinue the product named Rendezvous Rye or merely re-appropriate the name for their own single distillery distillate.

The High West Double Rye is no slouch either, IMHO, even if not up to the bar set high by sibling Rendezvous Rye.

Some great questions so far! Keep em' coming people :)

Bump

Just seen this, that's cool. My question would be: I loved High West Rocky Mountain Rye 21 Year Old, do you have any plans to release more older whiskeys like this?

@Nelom I asked the LCBO that question some time ago and they gave me the name of the Canadian distributor. I asked them and they said there were no plans to bring HW back to the LCBO. Of course if the LCBO ordered some they would get it. I had a bottle of Rendezvous Rye brought in from Alberta last year.

I'm currently in Utah, looking forward to my visit to High West on Thursday. I'll be checking this thread tomorrow for any last minute questions. If there's anything you'd like me to ask them let me know.

Hope it's going well @Pierre, did you get some drone footage?

Thank you to everyone who posted a question. The visit went very well and all your questions were answered. I'll be publishing the videos soon.

@Pierre, looking forward to viewing your video compilation and reading about your visit.

We've just just published the main High West Distillery feature video which I'll also embed below.

And look out for the extra #ConnosrAsks video - published tomorrow - which includes your questions...

@Pierre, that is such a nice mellifluous voice which you have. Thank you for a nice interview.

And a matter of business: will High West sell (or give) me some more of their 62.5% abv Oat spirit?

...oops, jumped the gun, I guess. I will wait for the next video to address the questions.

@Victor your question will be answered very shortly

@Victor you can check out the community questions video here www.youtube.com/watch or head over to the news section where the High West #ConnosrAsks video lives.

Yes indeed, Pierre's voice could melt ice on a cold winter's day @Victor...I'm locking up my daughters.

The Brothers Connosr have done a great job! Thank you Pierre and Jean-Luc.

@paddockjudge I'm glad you like it. And as for my voice, it seemed to have a powerful effect on the citizens of Utah which led to some amusing moments!

@Pierre, had the timing for your trip been a bit different, we might have sent a posse to meet you in Utah. Last year some of us gathered in New Mexico. I have a full book this year with a wedding for my eldest daughter and all three of my children attending college/university. Perhaps another time.

@paddockjudge perhaps I'll have to visit a Canadian distillery. And give the good people of Connosr a little more notice!

@Pierre, I double dog dare you!

@paddockjudge careful! I'm easily led...

@Pierre @paddockjudge I can attest to this...