I’d like to thank High West Distillery and their partners at Lippe Taylor for sending this sample with no strings attached.
Hello friends! I hope everyone is having an amazing day today. I’ve been hobbling around on an injured foot after my deck bit me last night. I ended up with a five-inch-long sliver of wood stabbed about an inch into the ball of my foot. I was able to get it out just fine—just a little self-surgery with a sterilized X-Acto blade. It ended up looking like a cut. Not too bad... if it were anywhere but exactly where all my weight lands with every step. But hey! That just means I’m done with yard work for a little while. Not going to complain about that.
Especially when there’s whiskey in my glass.
Tonight’s whiskey is one from High West Distillery out of Park City, Utah. I’ve met some of the folks there a few times and always walk away impressed with their operation. In fact, what I love most about them is their willingness to let the consumer know exactly where the whiskey comes from—even if it wasn’t originally distilled by them.
For example, if you take a look at the press release for this particular bottle of Bourye (a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey), you’ll see the following:
Mashbill:
• Straight Rye Whiskey: 95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP; 80% rye, 20% malted rye from HWD
• Straight Bourbon Whiskey: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt from MGP; 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley from MGP; 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley from KY
That’s pretty cool for a whiskey nerd like me. Plus, this particular release is over 10 years old. So, double-digit age and transparency? Yes, please.
The only thing I don’t love is the price. Trying to sell a $125 bottle of whiskey when folks are trying to figure out how to buy their groceries is... certainly a choice. But I wouldn’t doubt that their suppliers charged them an arm and a leg as well. And as a guy who sells things I make to people (see below), I get needing to make money on the things you’ve made.
One thing I did find odd: they specifically called out that this doesn’t do well with ice. And as someone who usually likes his whiskey with a small piece of ice, I can confirm—it doesn’t really take water well. Of course, at only 92 proof, it doesn’t really need it either.
So let’s dig in before I give everything away.
High West Bourye 2025
Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $124.99 per bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.33
Details: 10 years old. 46% ABV. Mashbill: A blend of whiskeys that include: Straight Rye Whiskey from MGP (95% rye, 5% barley malt), Straight Rye Whiskey from High West (80% rye, 20% malted rye), Straight Bourbon Whiskey from MGP (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley), and Straight Bourbon Whiskey from and unnamed Kentucky Distillery (78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley).
Nose: Ripe banana and red fruits, sweet vanilla-caramel, and dusty oak.
Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, red fruit, black tea, ginger, and oak.
Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of floral vanilla, black tea, barrel char, and ginger.
Thoughts: This is a good whiskey. I’m really enjoying it. There’s very little chance I’ll be purchasing it—not at that price, and not in this economy. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a good product. I dig the spicy and oak notes. I just wish it had a bit more proof. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I’d like for something that runs over $8 a pour. Overall, I like the whiskey—it’s just that I’d like it a lot more at about half to two-thirds of the price.
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