Tasting notes

nose

wildflower honey, golden raisin, lemon peel and chamomile, with roasted nuts and a damp, mossy wood note

palate

layered toffee, ripe cantaloupe, graham cracker and crème caramel, turning to dried hay, cocoa nib and leather

finish

lingering and malty; kumquat and maple-pecan pie give way to raisin, toasted pecan and a light oak spice

Mash bill

100% malted barley. High West mashes two recipes: one of all base malt, and a Tri-Malt of 85% base malt, 14% caramel-60 malt and 1% chocolate malt. The darker brewing malts bring a roasted, toffee-like depth, and the wash is fermented and distilled on the grain, with the solids left in rather than strained out.

Why it's craft

High Country is one of the few High West whiskeys made entirely from its own spirit: it is distilled on copper pot stills and blended at the Wanship distillery in the Wasatch Mountains. Rather than using only new barrels, as most American whiskey does, the distillers mix new and used cooperage, favoring sherry butts and port casks, and fold in some of the previous year's blend. High West, founded in 2006, has been owned by Constellation Brands since 2016.