A step up from the Double Rye, the High West Rendezvous Rye is one hell of a ride. An artful blend of young LDI and old Barton rye whiskeys blended together in a way that beautifully displays the unique properties of each. From the old rye you get the warm, rounded, sweet and woody notes and from the young one you get the more assertive rye spice and dill. The best of both worlds with maturity tempering the youthful grainy bite; youth adding lively spice to the mellowed maturity.
At this point in the game there is no use even attempting to deny that High West is exceptionally good at what they do. Their skill in sourcing and blending whiskey from other distilleries to make something new, unique and all their own is unmatched. Quite often while a distillery is waiting for their own whiskey to age they will just sell “moonshine” (un-aged / white whiskey) or vodka (both of which High West does). Sometimes they even just outright slap a label on someone else’s whiskey and call it a day (which HW also does). However, it’s rare to see folks taking time to actually source and then blend such great stuff like this and even rarer for them to be as transparent about where it coms from as High West is.
High West Rendezvous Rye Review
Distiller: LDI & Barton
Bottler: High West
Blend and mashbill: LDI straight 6 yr rye whiskey (95% rye & 5% barley malt) and Barton straight 16 yr rye whiskey (80% rye, 10% corn & 10% barley malt)
ABV: 46%
Price: $48
Batch: 11
Bottle: 701
EYE
Dark amber
NOSE
Rye spice! Big rolling waves of rye spice accompanied by notes of butterscotch, dill and caramel. Hints of vanilla, strawberry heavy dark fruit and a sliver of wood ride the waves.
TASTE
Rye, caramel and dill come rolling out of the glass and combine with some dark fruit leather, wood and citrus to create a wonderfully coating flavor. Pepper and new leather come in at the end with a hint of raw grains and a mild astringent underpinning.
FINISH
Rye rules the aftertaste with oak finally making a big showing and bringing some citrus and pepper along with it on a long slow fade to an ambiguous sweetness.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced for the most part with a round and full body. It runs a bit hot but it’s not distracting.
OVERALL
High West Rendezvous Rye is another amazing whiskey from the Wasatch Mountain lads I truly enjoy. I love how the rounded, almost bourbon like, sweetness and soft wooden character of the older rye mixes and balances so well with the sharp assertive qualities of the young rye; weaving a bit of a bite through the more refined and complex dessert and spice notes. Artfully crafted, they were able to balance the strengths of each to create something truly tasty and unique.
SCORE: 91/100
High West Rendezvous Rye
High West Rendezvous Rye Value
High West Rendezvous Rye is a fantastic value in the world of rye whiskey. This whiskey tastes better than rye’s that cost 1.5 – 3x it’s price and I can’t recommend it enough.
Overall
- Nose - 93
- Palate - 92
- Finish - 90
- Balance, Body & Feel - 90
User Review
( votes)( reviews)
Hey Josh,
What do you know about the High West Whiskies and their use of the older Barton component in their blends? Specifically, when did the Barton disappear and the High West product come into play? I have a couple bottles of Rendezvous from 2016 (batch 16E12) and was curious as to the likely composition within the bottles. Also, what is your take on the changes….better or worse than before?
Hey Kelly,
I think they stopped using the older Barton stuff around 2012 because the supply ran out. They have used some in the Bourye releases, but that’s about all its saved for lately it seems. It’s definitely not as rich as the older releases, but the Rendezvous is still one of my favorite sipping ryes, I think it’s still complex and interesting… just not as much as it used to be.
Cheers!
The bottle I got is Batch No 13I 01,
I like this Rye whiskey a lot.
However, I got somewhat “bitter” tastes on the finish.
Is this “bitter” feeling what you described as “a hint of raw grains and a mild astringent underpinning”? Or is “astringent” tastes very similar to bitter ?
Hey Sean,
Astringent is quite bitter so I’d say those are the same. Raw grains are more earthy and a touch sweet (think about chewing on barley or wheat grains). Hope that helps.
Cheers!
1. I am not a rye drinker.
2. I am a stickler for classic drinks being made the classic way (a martini is always made with gin!)
So, a Sazerac should be made with Sazerac Rye. But……..Rendezvous Rye is my go to when making this classic cocktail. While I do not use High West receipt for their version of the Sazarac. I still follow The Original Sazerac Receipt with the exception of High West Rendezvous Rye Whiskey. I may actually become a rye drinker after all.
Enough said.
Thanks for sharing. cheers!
How does this compare to the Pikesville Rye? Im thinking of picking up a higher end Rye (for me), that is a step above Rittenhouse, and not sure to go with this, or Pikesville.
They’re different, but both are excellent. If you’re looking to go up a notch from Rittenhouse I’d go with whichever one is cheaper around you because I enjoy both of them a ton. Cheers!
I absolutely love RR. I can drink it every day and never tire of all the flavor. I’ve shared it with whiskey sceptics and never once have I failed to convert them to gushing enthusiasts. It’s just great stuff.
I do like the other High West brands, but only the Son of Bourye or maybe a Campfire really get close to Rendezvous, in my opinion of course!