Review of A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 10 Scene 6

High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 10 Scene 6

According to the company’s press release, “A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 10 showcases [High West’s] flagship Rendezvous Rye finished in a combination of ruby and tawny port barrels sourced from Portugal. In celebration of a decade of releases that have cemented A Midwinter Night’s Dram as a “cult classic,” the distillery is also unveiling a tenth anniversary limited release blend, A Midwinter Night’s Dram: The Encore.” The press release goes on to say, “Both A Midwinter Night’s Dram: Act 10 and The Encore will be available beginning October 2. Act 10 will be available in very limited quantities nationwide for $150. The Encore is uniquely available only at the High West General Store in Park City, Utah, or the High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah for $150, where consumers can also purchase Act 10.”

‍‍This is the 10th edition of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, aptly named Act 10.

NOSE

Light raspberries mingle with red wine upfront. Vanilla custard, caramel, and baking spices coalesce, adding a blanket of sweet, familiar aromas. All of this lies atop a mound of rye spice, reminding you of the whiskey’s base. Despite an assortment of pleasing scents, the delivery is muted, forcing you to really pull the wonderful scents out. Its lack of aromatic intensity ultimately holds the nose back from its true potential.

Palate

Where the nose lacks rich intensity, the palate makes up for it in waves. Fig jam, raspberry pie filling, and crème brûlée manifest with welcomed intensity. They’re complemented by baking spices and a touch of leather. It is less obviously wine-forward than some previous versions, but at the same time heavily influenced. The integration of flavors is on point in the palate. Rye and port flavors fuse in near-perfect form here. The proof lets the intensity show through, but without any unnecessary heat. It’s an excellent marriage of flavors.

Finish

The combination of dark fruit and spice flavors on the palate provides the recipe for a really good finish. Raspberry jam, cherry, and rye spice transition to sugarplum and dry leather on the backend. It’s quite good, though the level of richness found in the palate is quickly taken down a few notches. As a result, it’s well-rounded and enjoyable overall, despite not matching the height achieved in the palate.

Uniqueness

In my 2014 review of A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 2.1, it was clear that finishing rye whiskeys in port barrels was a relatively new concept, even if it was starting to become more prevalent. In 2022, wine finishing is quite common, and using ex-port barrels is as common as any wine finishing styles. 1792 Port Finished Bourbon, Woodinville Port Finished Bourbon, and Angel’s Envy Bourbon Port Finish are among some of the top-of-mind port finished whiskeys. Notably, these are bourbons, but less-known rye base port finished whiskeys do exist. Milam & Greene Rye Port Wine Cask Finish, Sagamore Spirit Rye Port Finish, and WhistlePig Old World Cask Finish (a blend that includes Madeira, Sauternes, and port) are among them.

While the list of options is growing, sometimes a store may have only one option, if any at all. Even then, a well-integrated flavor profile is more elusive, and varies by release. Because the nature of finishing is so sensitive, even a single brand may experience wide variation from batch to batch. Additionally, the base Rendezvous Rye has experienced changes over the years – the sourced Barton component was replaced with High West’s own distillate, and the overall age of the blend came down as compared to earlier releases. Despite these changes, A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 10 remains a really good representation of rye whiskey finished in port barrels to pleasing results, building off a unique rye blend, and then finishing with a style that is less common for rye than it is for bourbon. This still allows A Midwinter Night’s Dram to stand out in the American whiskey space, even if it’s less unique than it used to be.

Value

A Midwinter Night’s Dram received quite warm reception when it was first released, and that helped fuel the demand for the brand going forward. Blending multiple ryes from different distilleries combined with port finishing, and finally bottling in an eye-catching bottle and label (as quoted from the label itself

Review of A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 10 Scene 6

Bottle Info

Classification: Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Port Barrels

Company: Constellation Brands

Distillery: High West Distillery and MGP Distillery

Release Date: October 2022

Proof: 98.6

Age: NAS

Mashbill: Blend of two ryes:

80% Rye, 20% Malted Barley (High West Distillery)

95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley (MGP Distillery)

Color: Cherry Mahogany

Price: $150 (2022)

Official Website

Reader Rating4595 Votes

9.6

10