High West "Rendezvous Rye" A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys

The 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.

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.”

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.”

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.