High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram The Encore Blend of Straight Ryes

Description

Volume: 750mL | Proof: 101.6 (50.8% ABV) | Style: Limited Engagement Finished Blend of Straight Ryes | Cask Style: Finished in Premium White Port Barrels | Rarity: Ultra-Allocated Collector’s Prize / Hyper-Limited Release

A Brilliant, Unprecedented Twist on a Winter Legend

For over a decade, High West’s annual A Midwinter Night’s Dram releases have stood as the undisputed holiday cult classics of the whiskey world, traditionally celebrated for their dark, heavy Ruby and Tawny Port cask finishes. However, master blenders love to surprise traditionalists. High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram: The Encore represents a spectacular, hyper-limited variation that acts as a glorious curtain call to their classic winter playbook. By taking their robust straight rye base and altering its trajectory with rare finishing timber, High West has crafted a completely distinct masterpiece that demands a spot in every executive vault.

The Uncommon Artistry of the White Port Finish

While standard iterations look to dark red fruits for complexity, The Encore shifts the spotlight by maturing the liquid in hand-selected White Port casks. This unique style of fortified Portuguese wine barrel introduces a completely fresh, brilliantly complex flavor profile. Instead of heavy stewed plums, the White Port timber coaxes out elegant notes of bright stone fruits, dried apricots, and delicate floral honeys. When met with the natural, fiery, high-rye backbone of the base whiskey, this finish creates an exceptional sweet-and-spicy dialogue that is completely unmatched in the rest of the Midwinter lineup.

An Elevated, Full-Bodied 101.6 Proof Tasting Profile

Bottled non-chill filtered at an amplified 101.6 Proof (50.8% ABV), The Encore offers an incredibly thick, coating mouthfeel and an intensified flavor delivery built for connoisseurs:

• Color: Rich, bright golden amber with brilliant polished copper reflections.

• Nose: Intensely aromatic, sweet, and complex. Vibrant aromas of dried apricots, poached pears, and orange blossom honey open up to sophisticated background notes of vanilla bean paste, fresh mint, and warm, lightly toasted French oak.

• Palate: Thick, creamy, and exceptionally full-bodied. The tongue is immediately greeted by white chocolate truffles, honey-roasted nuts, and sweet butterscotch. The mid-palate gracefully transforms into bold, classic rye territory, delivering an intricate burst of cracked white pepper, cinnamon sticks, ginger cakes, and nutmeg.

• Finish: Monumentally long, warming, and beautifully dry. The bright stone-fruit sweetness slowly gives way to a sophisticated finish filled with dry wine tannins, fine leather, baking cocoa, and a long, memorable trailing note of sweet charred oak.

A Crown Jewel Centerpiece for Private Vaults

Housed in High West’s iconic, rustic hand-blown glass bottle featuring an elegant variation of their antique textured labeling and a premium natural wood-topped cork, High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram: The Encore looks magnificent on any top shelf. It stands as an exceptional high-prestige gift for a dedicated whiskey hunter who has everything, an irreplaceable cornerstone piece to complete an elite High West collection, or the premier choice to anchor a high-end whiskey flight night. Best enjoyed completely neat in a Glencairn tasting glass to appreciate its full structural depth.