Just for fun, guys at High West Distillery put some rye whiskey into barrels originally used to age wine. When they mixed the ‘vermouth-ed’ (Vya, Madera, CA) and the ‘syrah-ed’ (Qupé Santa Maria, CA) they discovered an all-natural, not disgustingly sweet whiskey for the rest of us.
Proof: Bottled at 46 %ABV/92 Proof
Not chill filtered
Marriage of two straight rye whiskies
95% rye, 5% barley malt mashbill (LDI now MGP)
The older rye has a "barely legal" rye mashbill of 53% rye and 37% corn (Barton Distillery)
Barrel type: Oak barrel that previously held Vermouth Barrel (Vya, Madera, CA), Oak barrel that previously held Qupé Syrah (Qupé Santa maria, CA)
TASTING NOTES
Color: An unusual beautiful ruby red (from the Syrah barrel finish)
Nose: Fresh cinnamon stick, crushed blackberries (cassis) with some herbs (thyme and sage) in the background.
Taste: A big, bold punch of cinnamon spice and blackberries on a foundation of vanilla and caramel, the long finish is dried orange rind and herbs.
FOOD PAIRING
Yippee Ki-Yay is great as an aperitif on ice, neat with dessert, or on its own. Try it in a Manhattan. This stuff rocks.
