This blend of straight ryes finished in vermouth and syrah barrels now includes some of High West’s own whiskey, distilled in Utah. The nose is fresh and herbal, with spearmint, tarragon, dill pickle, fresh celery juice, and a candied note of orange Kool-Aid. Fruit, nut, and spice flavors temper some of the wild herbaceousness of the palate: blueberry jam, peanuts, cinnamon, and dark chocolate. Lengthy finish, with more dark fruit, nuts, spice, and oak.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2019)

The nose is floral, with honey, toffee, cereal, and a hint of smoke, but subtle maritime notes are also present. The palate is rich and relatively complex: spicy, with citrus fruit, more cereal, seaweed, peat smoke, and oak. Lengthy in the finish, with toffee, new leather, and perpetual spice. A long-standing favorite with a very distinctive profile.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2019)

Matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks. A whiff of brine on the early nose, with damp earth, citrus fruit, cereal, and mildly smoky oak. The palate is supple and offers vanilla toffee, cedarwood, hazelnuts, and more brine. A spicy finish yields coconut and a hint of dry peat.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2019)

This nugget of Welsh gold has a nose of candied orange and lemon slices, toasted spices, herb garden, light vanilla, and the oils of finely shredded peel. On the palate, there’s toffee and orange cake, an array of tropical fruits with papaya and passion fruit sweetness, and a good thrust of pepper and clove, leaving just a hint of grated chocolate and cask char in a dry finish.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2019)

An herbaceous and savory whiskey, with an expressive nose: fennel, licorice, roasted lemon and clementine peels, new leather, and dark berries. The finish makes itself evident from first sip, with a chewy texture and flavors of dark chocolate, nocino liqueur, black licorice, orange oil, and allspice. The finish has good length, with more dark chocolate, fennel, roasted nuts, polished oak, and pipe tobacco.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2019)

Relatively dry on the nose, with citrus fruit, hazelnut, and quite dry sherry. The palate is full and rich, with sweeter sherry notes, cinnamon, and banoffee pie. Jaffa oranges, hot chocolate, and slightly tannic oak in the medium-length finish. Matured in oloroso casks.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2019)

A floral nose with fragrant orange and tropical notes of melon and guava, grape and cherry, chamomile tea, licorice, and rye spice. Smooth texture on the palate, with more orange and vanilla, lemon, toasted almond, dark chocolate, and allspice. Water brings out pears and apples, chocolate, and pepper spice. The finish is long, with orange peel, pink peaches, marmalade, and strawberry, then balanced spiciness melding with fresh fruit and oak.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

This pours punchy, vivid, and somewhat youthful with sparks of white pepper, cereal grain aromas, and an impression of menthol and alpine herbs. At full proof, it opens with a fiery flurry of sizzling spices, as cinnamon hearts candies meet sweet candied apple and dense fruitiness—raisin and fig—that evolve to grilled pineapple and melon. (914 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2019)

From rye grown in a single Alberta field, cultivated and harvested using horse-drawn farm machinery, this whisky was aged in new American oak, then finished in the distillery’s single malt barrels. The nose is dry, clean, and herbal: slatey, with hints of cereal. Quite sweet on the palate, with peaches, berries, kiwi, and exotic fruits. Warming and spicy, smoky but not hot, with hints of pancake syrup. Finishes long, silky, and slippery. $73 CAD

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Fall 2019)

This pours punchy, vivid, and somewhat youthful with sparks of white pepper, cereal grain aromas, and an impression of menthol and alpine herbs. At full proof, it opens with a fiery flurry of sizzling spices, as cinnamon hearts candies meet sweet candied apple and dense fruitiness—raisin and fig—that evolve to grilled pineapple and melon. (914 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2019)

A lively nose with scents of orange peel, wild strawberries, pepper spice, and herbal tea. The palate presents a balanced offering of cream, orange Creamsicle, and bitter chocolate, all overlaid with a ring of white pepper. The finish is long and silky, with more vanilla, some orange oil, sweet oak, and a hint of jalapeño pepper. Youthful and fresh for its age, with a lively complexity and bold character.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

Time in the barrel is apparent here, with ample cedar, sawdust, and toasty oak sprinkled across caramel sweetness with a medley of herbal flavors, including licorice and basil. Generous on the palate, it serves up lots of clove and baking spices before the oak tannin sweeps in, leaving a very dry finish of bitter orange pith.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2019)

Floral and quite delicate on the nose, with notes of grape, rose petals, red berries, honey, baked apples, cinnamon, vanilla cookies, allspice, dill, cucumber, and fragrant oak. The palate is nutty up front, followed by orange peel, vanilla, tobacco leaf, cinnamon, roasted walnuts, and toasted oak. Water brings out brighter, racier flavors of chocolate. The finish is golden apples, honey, bitter chocolate, roasted pecans, and a balanced, rich sweetness.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

Roasted corn, peanut butter, vanilla extract, orange wedges, root beer, and licorice on the nose. The palate is oak-driven, chewy, and dense, carrying along an herbaceous streak that showcases dill, cedar, licorice, and black pepper, as well as peanuts, orange oil, and roasted corn. A few drops of water showcase the grain and nuts to even better advantage. Distilled in Indiana and aged in Georgia.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2019)

Made with corn and rye and aged in new American and French oak barrels. It’s appetizing on the nose, with aromas of almond scone spread with orange marmalade, along with cooked pumpkin and butterscotch pudding. More orange emerges on the sweet and candied palate, as well as Big Red gum, chocolate, almonds, and sweet grain; the oak is expressive, but balanced. A clean and dry finish, with almond, milk chocolate, and cinnamon candy.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2019)

A nose of cinnamon Red Hots and spiced oak, with eucalyptus, cracked pepper, herbaceousness, and minerality. The palate is somewhat hot, offering pepper spice and oak tannins, but soft in texture, with notes of vanilla pastry, strawberry shortcake, raspberry jam, baking spices, and roasted nuts. Water adds more nuttiness, as well as dark chocolate. A smooth finish of dark chocolate, spice, and tobacco. Somewhat oak forward, but showing good maturity.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

An upfront classic single malt from an undisclosed Islay distillery, launched to coincide with the opening of Hunter Laing’s Ardnahoe Distillery. Overt peat smoke on the nose, with brine, citrus spices, vanilla, and mild antiseptic. Stewed fruits and bonfire embers on the palate, with new leather and rich spice notes. The slightly medicinal finish features peppery oak.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2019)

Ahead of Diageo’s new Irish distillery opening in Dublin, this release has a bouquet of grilled orange, barley sugar, Conference pear, and vanilla cream laced with white pepper. The warm, fruity palate with soft barley sugars, poached pear, moderate spices, and tangy citrus becomes increasingly sweet, with vanilla dominating proceedings in the later phase. Easy to like, this makes me want to experiment and start mixing it up.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2019)