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High West\u2019s Bourye<\/a> has built a sort of cult following among some American whiskey fans, with its production dating back to the early 2010s. The bourbon\/rye mashup often contained highly-aged whiskey from multiple distilleries, and fans chased new tastes as the blend and profile shifted from one year to the next. After about a decade as a nationwide release, High West changed Bourye to a distillery-only bottling, so customers needed to purchase it in Utah. (Or ask a friend nicely.)<\/p>\n Apparently, that was only a temporary move, and the 2025 version takes Bourye back to national distribution. (It\u2019s still a \u201climited sighting.\u201d) As per usual, Bourye 2024 is a blend of straight rye and bourbon whiskeys, and while we don\u2019t know the exact proportion, High West is divulging the blend\u2019s component mashbills:<\/p>\n According to High West, all components in this year\u2019s blend are at least 10 years old. That\u2019s especially noteworthy in regard to the distillery\u2019s own 80\/20 rye, which is likely among the oldest High West-distilled rye we\u2019ve seen released in any capacity.<\/p>\n The final blend is bottled at 46% abv and carries an MSRP around $125. Let\u2019s see how it tastes!<\/p>\n I always let my tasting samples rest for at least five minutes before recording notes. But this Bourye makes waiting difficult, with bold fruits wafting out of the glass from several feet away. The medley of fruit is reminiscent of some well aged malt whiskeys. (I hardly expected this to evoke a fruity Speyside, but here we are.) Indeed, there\u2019s an always-on but not overwhelming thread of malt and cooked fruit throughout the nose: charred peaches, apricot skins, and burnt citrus peels.<\/p>\n Those bright, sweet aromas soon shift toward robust, barrel-forward bourbon notes, filled with classic pan caramel and more than a hint of campfire smoke. These notes evolve even more a few minutes later: birch bark and a cedar-lined closet meet barrel char and the continued underpinnings of fruit. It\u2019s one of the most captivating noses I can remember on a High West product, and I could hardly stop smelling it.<\/p>\n For all the nose\u2019s complexity, the early palate is easier to pin down. Toffee, milk chocolate, and pecan brittle lead with sweetness. Those elements are balanced by a hint of salinity and dried fruit \u2014 think salted, dried apricots. There\u2019s less fruit overall to speak of here, but it\u2019s not entirely absent, with that apricot and dried orange leading into sour components on the midpalate. Once there, herbal and vegetal flavors build in the form of endive and licorice root, with just enough residual sweetness to keep things in balance. Taken as a whole, the sip is reminiscent of a smoked maple old fashioned, heavy on orange bitters \u2014 with a leaf of fris\u00e9e as garnish. (Why not?)<\/p>\n Herbs and toffee meld into sweet mint (and a touch of oak) on the mid-length finish. It\u2019s a nice decrescendo from an intricate palate, but not inherently a letdown, with plenty to chew on while contemplating a next sip.<\/p>\n The nose is engulfing, the palate has far more peaks than valleys, and only the finish \u2014 nestled firmly into \u201cpretty good\u201d territory \u2014 keeps this blend from entering superlative territory. It\u2019s one of the top High West Bouryes I\u2019ve tried, and flat out among the best bourbon+rye blends I\u2019ve sipped in recent memory.<\/p>\n 92 proof.<\/p>\n A- \/ $125 \/ highwest.com<\/a> [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t$125<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
High West Bourye (2025)<\/h2>\n
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