High West A Midwinter Night's Dram — PRE-SALE (Act TBD, Arriving Tuesday) 750ml

We're pre-selling High West's most sought-after annual release before it even arrives on our shelves — and being upfront with you about exactly why. Our supplier's shipment is in transit and expected Tuesday; based on timing and current market conditions (High West's own website has just sold out of its most recent release), this is very likely one of the two most current editions of A Midwinter Night's Dram. We'll confirm the exact Act number the moment it's in our hands and update this listing immediately — no guesswork, no assumptions passed off as fact. What we can tell you with total confidence right now is everything that defines this release year after year, and why it's worth grabbing at this price before it's gone.

A Midwinter Night's Dram is genuinely High West's flagship winter release, and it's built the same way every single year: a blend of straight rye whiskeys, combining a 95% rye, 5% malted barley mash bill sourced from MGP with High West's own house-distilled rye, made from 80% rye and 20% malted rye. Both components are finished together in ruby and tawny port barrels — a technique that was genuinely rare for American rye whiskey when High West pioneered it, and remains one of the category's most distinctive signatures. As High West's own copy puts it: "the rye forms a beautiful base of vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon while the port barrels provide notes of plum, dried fruit, and spice. Like a proper holiday plum pudding, it's brimming with lovely mulling spices, dried fruits, and crème anglaise." Every release lands in a similar cask-strength range, historically right around 98.6 proof, delivering real intensity balanced by the port cask's natural sweetness.

This release has genuinely earned cult status: Robb Report calls it High West's "most collectible whiskey," noting that while other distilleries have experimented with port-finished rye — Sagamore Spirit, Milam & Greene, Hillrock Estate among them — "none of these have really achieved the collectible status of A Midwinter Night's Dram." Recent editions have drawn some of the strongest reviews in the series' history; VinePair's David Thomas Tao awarded a prior release 94 Points, calling it "delicious stuff," while other independent tasters have consistently found it "well aged" with "loads of complexity." Whichever specific Act arrives Tuesday, you're getting the same beloved, deliberately theatrical annual release — priced below current market, and genuinely worth locking in now rather than waiting for shelf stock that historically disappears fast.

Origins & Craftsmanship

A Midwinter Night's Dram is produced by High West Distillery, based in Utah, and released annually each fall as a limited, highly anticipated seasonal expression. The whiskey blends two distinct rye components: a 95% rye, 5% malted barley whiskey sourced from MGP in Indiana, and High West's own house-distilled rye, made from 80% rye and 20% malted rye. Both are finished together in a combination of ruby and tawny port barrels, along with a French oak component in some releases, developing the whiskey's signature layered fruit, spice, and dessert-like richness.

Each annual release is labeled by "Act" and "Scene" — a nod to the brand's Shakespeare-inspired naming convention — with the specific blend composition and cask selection varying meaningfully from year to year, even as the overall style and cask-strength bottling (historically around 98.6 proof) remains consistent. The release has become one of the most anticipated and fastest-selling whiskeys High West produces each year.

Critics Reviews

The following reflects the broader Midwinter Night's Dram series; specific critic coverage for this exact bottling will be added once the Act number is confirmed on arrival.

Robb Report:
"None of these have really achieved the collectible status of A Midwinter Night's Dram."

David Thomas Tao, VinePair — 94 Points (prior release):
"A Midwinter Night's Dram is delicious stuff, and a slight but marked improvement on last year's version."

High West (official series description):
"The rye forms a beautiful base of vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon while the port barrels provide notes of plum, dried fruit, and spice. Like a proper holiday plum pudding, it's brimming with lovely mulling spices, dried fruits, and crème anglaise."

Tasting Profile

General house-style character across the series; specific notes for this exact Act will be confirmed and added upon delivery.

Nose
Vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon form the rye's own base character, layered with plum, dried fruit, and spice contributed by the port cask finish.

Palate
Rye spice remains genuinely present rather than fully subsumed by the sweeter cask finish, typically delivering dark fruit, baking spice, toasted oak, and a warm, dessert-like richness.

Finish
Long and warming in most vintages, closing on lingering port-fruit sweetness balanced against classic rye spice.

Quick Overview

A Note on This Listing

We're selling this ahead of arrival because the value and timing are simply too good to sit on — but we want to be completely transparent: our shipment is currently in transit, expected Tuesday, and we will confirm the exact Act number the moment it arrives. This listing will be updated immediately with the confirmed Act, complete tasting notes, and full critic coverage specific to that release. If you're a collector who needs a specific Act for your set, we recommend checking back Tuesday before your order ships, or reaching out and we'll happily confirm for you directly.