Utah-based High West distillery is moving one of its flagship whiskeys to a seasonal release. High West Rendezvous Rye will now be released annually as a vintage whiskey, featuring unique artwork each time.
At $70 per bottle, Rendezvous Rye has long been one of the underrated products in the High West portfolio, but it looks like the distillery has decided it deserves some more attention. They’re starting with a good looking new image:
The new vintage collection debuts with artwork by American artist Ed Mell, “whose work has been collected by notable celebrities like Diane Keaton and Arnold Schwarzenegger,” according to High West. “Ed is best known for his painting of timeless Western landscapes, a perfect complement to High West’s signature spirit.”
Starting this week, Rendezvous will feature his artwork on the label. Like Midwinter Night’s Dram and other whiskeys in the High West portfolio, this batch will be present until it runs out, and next year a new artist will adorn the label.
Rendezvous, which is a blend of straight rye whiskeys, is one of the longest running officially sourced ryes in the modern whiskey landscape. The distillery began incorporating their own pot still rye into the blend several years ago, which they say “brings elements of dried fruit, leather, and candied ginger to the final product.”
Official tasting notes for the 2021 release include notes of “poached pear, bitter orange, ground ginger, lavender, wet sandalwood, and tanned leather on a well-used wooden work bench. Robust flavors of persimmon, dried apricot, snickerdoodle, ginger chews, walnut sauce, and spiced caramels in a cedar gift box are followed by a decadent finish of cocoa nibs, allspice, and toasted oak.”
Rendezvous Rye is available this week in select locations for $70 per bottle.
