High West – Rendezvous Rye (70cl, 46%)

High West Rendezvous Rye is an American rye whiskey in a 70cl bottle, bottled at 46% without chill-filtering or added colour. It blends rye whiskeys that have matured for between four and seven years in new oak casks. The blend joins column-distilled rye from MGP, made from 95% rye and 5% malted barley, with High West's own pot still rye, made from 80% rye and 20% malted rye. The name recalls the yearly gatherings of trappers and traders in Utah's Cache Valley in the early 19th century. Tasting notes describe vanilla, caramel, clove and cinnamon, with green apple and peppermint. Candied fruit and rye lead on the palate, and the long finish carries rye, cinnamon and a hint of mint.