High West also wants to make its mark by supporting a great cause: preserving and promoting the American West. Among whiskey geeks, High West has earned high marks for their relative transparency. In order to get over the financial hump that many small distilleries face, High West has crafted blended whiskey from other distillers until theirs can age properly. He began distilling in 2007, and the High West Distillery was founded in 2009. Perkins realized there were similarities between his biochemistry work and the fermentation and distilling process. I wish I’d bought more.David Perkins was a biochemist touring the Maker’s Mark Distillery when he saw the opportunity for a change in careers. Outside of whiskey we tend to gravitate towards Armagnac because the oak-forward similarities are hard to miss and this marries together the best of both seamlessly. I’m beyond over-the-moon that K&L picked this ex-Armagnac finished High West American Prarie Bourbon Barrel Select because it’s something that folks in my whiskey circle have been talking about for years: Armagnac. Screw cognac, rum or sherry casks, bourbon appears to be best served by Armagnac casks.
I have a rye finished cask, an ex-bourbon cask finish, a manhattan cask finish and of course the regular High West American Prarie Bourbon but this seems to have found a balance and a depth that nothing else has. This is the best version of the HWAPB I’ve had. High West American Prairie Bourbon Barrel Select – Final Thoughts and Score High West should make this a regular thing… This is the perfect fusion of everything I love about Bourbon and Armagnac together in one bottle. High West American Prairie Bourbon Barrel Select – OverallĪroma is sweet and heavy with a solid oak character but a bit of water adds a butteriness to it that takes this to the next level and makes me want a room that smells like this in my house – it’s warm and inviting like fresh baked goods Palate hits the same, but picks up a bit of menthol as it opens and, with water, a larger dose of brown sugar and cocoa wafts through on the heavy spice currents Finish is sweet and oaky and spicy and a wonderful experience to end with.
Long -> Grapey dark fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon spice and oak. SPICE!, oak, dried dark fruit, cocoa, honey, leather, nuts, vanilla, citrus zest, brown sugar and a strong grapey Armagnac profile. Oak, Manuka honey, dried dark fruit, complex spice, toffee, vanilla, cocoa and light touches of fresh pastries, vegetal notes and grain. The old Gascogne oak does a lot to frame the excellent bourbon flavors without masking or marring the inherent goodness that the High West blending team has created.” – K&L Tasting Notes
Price: $55 “We’re pretty picky about barrel finishes, but High West is consistently knocking it out of the park. Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley (MGP) | 84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley (Other)Ĭask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color High West American Prairie Bourbon Barrel Select – Details and Tasting Notesĭistiller: MGP + Undisclosed (KY – likely Barton) It’s long enough for a typically low-spice whiskey to pick up some bigger spice notes synonymous with Armagnac, and that’s exactly what’s happened here. The barrel this bottle came from, was picked by K&L and it was finished in an Armagnac barrel for 1 year and 9 months. While technically true a bourbon stops being a bourbon if it’s finished in a used barrel, like these Barrel Select picks are, it definitely doesn’t stop being delicious. And let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with that. Here we have a bourbon that’s not a bourbon: High West American Prairie Bourbon Barrel Select.
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