High West Rendezvous Rye

Batch 48, bottle #772.

I picked up this bottle because it is the cheapest straight rye whiskey available in Québec, by virtue of being the only one as well. After trying it, I feel I might have to try other to get a better pictures of what a rye whiskey is. I guess a road trip to Ottawa will be in order in 2012.

Drunk neat.

Nose: A clean nose of mint, vanilla, spices and some herbal touches. The mint is surprising, since I could not detect it in the actual taste, but I feel it was the dominant aspect.

Taste: A cool, sweet rush of vanilla and other sugars hits the tongue, with a good mouthfeel. Strangely, it reminds me of a wheated bourbon of all things (the Maker's 46). The rye makes its presence felt after a second or two, with an ever increasing spiciness, which never becomes harsh.

Finish: This is where it gets interesting: the rye spice is joined by the oak's cinnamon and the alcohol's warmth. The final has a good length to it, and the two competing spices really brings me in the holiday mood.

Balance: Big points here. I was expecting a hot, fruity and spicy whiskey. What I received was a well integrated, never harsh, combination of sweetness, spice and oak. A well-crafted whiskey.

That said, I'm left to ponder: is this a typical rye whiskey? Before the Rendezvous, I had tried 3 bourbons: the Maker's 46, the Elijah Craig 12 and the Bulleit Bourbon. The last two had strong fruitiness and spice (EC12) or harsh spiciness (BB), and I feel the 46 is actually closest to the Rendezvous.

Don't get me wrong: I love this whiskey. I was simply expecting something quite different. Will I buy another bottle? Probably not at the price (83.75 $CAD), but I will keep watching what comes out of High West.

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