“When we created A Midwinter Night’s Dram, we wanted the name to capture the same kind of imagination and artistry that Shakespeare brought to the stage with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The timing of the release in the heart of winter made the play on words feel just right,” High West’s Tara Lindley explains to Maxim the inspiration of their annual rye gem’s name. “We even included a leaf from an early edition of the play in the packaging—little details like that are part of what makes this whiskey feel alive, like a story in a bottle. “For us, it’s not just about the rye and the port barrels; it’s about creating something that connects people to a season, a story, and a shared sense of wonder.”
As Lindley leads High West’s sensory program and innovation pipeline—overseeing flavor development, quality assurance, and creative blending—it’s her job to not only help develop new expressions, but also ensure the final quality of every bottle. A high-pressure responsibility no doubt, but one that ramps up even greater when you’re talking about the Utah whiskey label’s most coveted annual release.
“A Midwinter Night’s Dram has become one of our most sought-after releases, with fans lining up at the distillery and saloon—and some even chartering planes—just to get a bottle,” Lindley marvels. She mentions how every year for this special bottle High West sources two types of Port barrels, Ruby and Tawny, from across Portugal.
The use of two different Port barrels allows the creative team behind A Midwinter Night’s Dram to really modulate and play with the exact properties they want that year’s particular edition, or ‘Act,’ to offer. Specifically she pinpoints notes of baking spice, vanilla and both dried and preserved fruit—flavors High West believes evoke the late seasons of fall and winter.
“While the Ruby Port barrels have always made up the lion’s share of the finishing barrels, we tweak the ratio of Ruby to Tawny barrels every year to drive different sensory attributes,” Lindley continues. “The Ruby Port barrels bring a beautiful jammy fruit element to the blend, while the Tawny balance out more of the dried fruit attributes—with dried fig and plum and even some nutty character. For Act 13, all of our finishing barrels were first-fill finishers which drives more intense fruit impact. In other years, we sometimes use a small portion of second-fill Port barrels, and this will drive more structural elements in the blend.”
Beyond using both Ruby and Tawny Port barrels to influence that Act’s exact algorithm, High West also begins the entire process with rye whiskey from two separate distilleries, with slightly different mash bills—a combo they also use for their flagship Rendezvous Rye expression. The first is the famed ’95/5’ rye from MGP (95% rye, 5% barley malt), the other a pure rye mash bill (80% rye / 20% malted rye) distilled by High West themselves at their Wanship, Utah distillery. The two juices blend amorously and with complexity‚ much like Hermia and Lysander in Shakespeare’s inspirational comedy.
“We’ve been using our own High West rye in the Midwinter Night’s Dram blend since the 2018, Act 6 release,” Lindley reveals, sharing what each juice brings to the mix—although the exact proportions are proprietary secrets. “The column still-produced MGP 95% rye brings complex yet fresh baking spices with cinnamon stick, allspice in addition to eucalyptus and orange peel to the base blend. Our pot still-produced own make rye brings rich and concentrated barrel maturation and red fruit. It’s an impactful and congener-rich component and helps us drive the layers of complexity in this blend.”
Bottled at 49.3% ABV (98.6-proof), the highly limited and lucky 13th Act of High West’s A Midwinter Night’s Dram can be found at High West’s Wanship Distillery and Saloon in Park City at its SRP of $150, with some bottles also online.
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