By Richard Thomas
Rating: A-
(Credit: Richard Thomas)
During the 2010s, Utah’s High West made a splash with whiskey nerds for their transparency. Although they were a negociant (or non-distiller producer, as bloggers who didn’t know there was a better term already in use in whisky circles preferred to call such a company), they had two characteristics that set them apart from most of their contemporaries. First was their transparency about their sourcing and second was that they were actually sourcing from multiple partners and engaging in a more complex form of blending. Nowadays, High West’s sourcing is much simpler: when they disclose the source, it’s usually Indiana’s MGP. However, they have made the transition to having their own distillery, and High West’s in-house whiskeys now take a prominent spot in the formulation of their products.
The Prisoner’s Share is a hybrid of bourbon and rye whiskeys and an annualized limited edition release originated in 2022. No details about sourcing are available, except that the whiskeys use range from four to 15 years old. Following in the practice of High West’s popular A Midwinter Night’s Dram, they have finished the blend in red wine casks, in this case French Oak casks used to age The Prisoner. This whiskey is then bottled at 102 proof.
The Whiskey
This pour had a dark amber with reddened tone coloring. The nose lead with a bourbon baked apples scent: apples, pie spices, brown sugar, loads of caramel, but also a strong note of raspberries. A sip starts in that exact vein: apples and raspberries plus a strong, syrupy bourbon current, before a pungent pepper note develops on the back end. The finish turned fast from pepper to cinnamon and oak.
The Price
Expect to pay $180 a bottle for High West The Prisoner’s Share.
