High West’s Midwinter Night’s Dram is just High West’s Rendezvous Rye, but finished in port barrels. It’s a seasonal release and has become extremely sought after, making it hard to find.

Why Did I Buy It:

Because I’m obsessive and compulsive and the bottle looks nice and Christmasy and I like Christmas. That’s not the real question though. The real question is how did I buy it?

How Did I Buy It:

Persistence persistence persistence. At least, that’s what it was from my perspective as a consumer. From the perspective of a store owner it was more like harassment harassment harassment.

I live in Manhattan so I knew that the moment this bottle hit the shelves it would be gone within a day. To make sure I got a bottle I called every liquor store in walking distance almost every day to see if they got the shipment in. You’d think they’d get annoyed, but as it turns out, there were a bunch of other people doing the same thing–I was just a faceless voice among the masses.

But I didn’t want to be a faceless voice. Faceless voices don’t get preferential treatment. If they knew me they might be willing to give me a heads up when the shipment comes in. So I started making conversation with them. “Wow you guys have great prices” I’d lie to their face. “We try to keep them reasonable,” they’d lie to my face. We’d go back and forth, I’d quip about how overrated Blantons is, and with that one line I’d earn their respect. If I really wanted to get their juices flowing I’d say something about how Weller SR isn’t much more than a pretty good bottom shelf whiskey. Then, having sufficiently buttered their biscuits, I’d shoehorn in the fact that I’m trying to find a bottle of Midwinter Nights Dram. Most just told me to check back next week, but a few took my name and number.

One day I called a store expecting nothing, but as fate would have it, they had just received a shipment of Midwinter Night’s Dram. “We’re nearly out.” – “Save a bottle for me!” I pleaded. – “No.” was all the clerk said in response. So I ran, heart pounding and adrenaline pumping. I got there, saw it still on the shelf, and… $300. They were selling each bottle for $300. I stopped calling after that. I figured even if I did catch a store at the right time, the markup would be so high I couldn’t afford it.

A week went by and I forgot about the hunt. Then I got a call one day while at work. It was one of the stores that had taken my number, and they told me they got a shipment in. But I had grown wise from my trials and tribulations. “How much?” I asked. Like a benevolent god of Christmas spirit, they responded “$105.99.” It was like Santa himself spoke to me through that Russian liquor store clerk. I ran for it again. In the middle of the work day I sprinted down the streets of Manhattan, burst through the door, and bought the second to last bottle they had.

Success! So was it worth it?

Nose:

It smells nice. Smells sweet, but not the sweetest nose I’ve ever nosed. I shouldn’t be surprised, but it reminds me a lot of Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye (which is a rye blended with a bit of port). Personally, I didn’t like the Dark Rye at all. I think it had too much port influence and it clashed with the Rye. But in the Midwinter Night’s Dram the port is more subtle which makes the whole thing more balanced. I give this context because if I hadn’t had the Dark Rye before, I would have said the nose is distinctive. Having had the Dark Rye, the nose to me is just a less intense version of that.

In terms of notes, I have a hard time picking out anything specific, except for that distinctive characteristic which I guess is port. If I’m really trying to stretch an association, I guess there’s a cherry coke kind of thing going on.

It’s a nice nose though.

Palate:

Again, fairly distinctive if you’ve never had Basil Hayden Dark Rye. Having had it, it’s just a more balanced version of that.

The bottle says I should be tasting vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, plums, dried fruit, and spice. I can’t really say I taste any of that. It tastes good, but there’s no real note that jumps out at me. Does alcohol burn count as spice?

Overall, it tastes like a solid whiskey with some port influence.

I’m a little surprised by how much everyone says that Midwinter Night’s Dram tastes like Christmas. I wonder how much of it is the influence of the packaging? Most American whiskeys have elements that taste like Christmas and this one does too, but there’s nothing about it that stands out to me screaming Ho! Ho! Ho! more than any other sweeter desert whiskey.

Finish:

Definitely a long finish. It finishes on a sweet note which is nice.

Verdict:

7/10 for taste, 8/10 because I had fun trying to find it and I like having it in my collection.

Midwinter Night’s Dram isn’t my favorite whiskey to drink, but it’s still a favorite of mine to have. I really enjoyed the hunt for it, especially with the payoff of actually being able to buy it at market price. It’s one of those bottles I feel proud to have for no other reason than because it took effort to get. That said, I probably wouldn’t even pay MSRP for it if it wasn’t a unique and hard to find bottle.

Does it taste like Christmas to me? Not really.

Does it embody the spirit of Christmas? Absolutely! At the end of the day, what is Christmas but borderline irrational consumerism?