Heritage
Act 11, Scene 9 represents one of the final bottlings in High West’s 2023 seasonal release. Built on the Rendezvous Rye base and finished in a mix of Ruby and Tawny port barrels, it offers a familiar blend of festive richness, winter spice, and dark fruit depth. While each “Scene” denotes a specific bottling run, all scenes within the same Act are blended uniformly to ensure consistent flavor across the release.
Tasting Profile & Food Pairings
Tasting Notes
On the nose, this whiskey opens with aromas of stewed plums, figs, raisin jam, cinnamon bark, and brown sugar. Hints of vanilla cream, nutmeg, and a subtle herbal note like mint or dill emerge with time in the glass. The palate delivers sweet notes of port-soaked cherries, dark chocolate, gingerbread, and soft rye spice. The texture is syrupy and rich but balanced, with mid-palate complexity that includes toasted oak, dried apricot, and clove. The finish lingers with baking spice, mulled wine, and port sweetness—leaving behind a cozy warmth perfect for cold evenings.
Some tasters describe Scene 9 as one of the more fruit-forward and dessert-like of the Act 11 bottlings, while others note that the rye character takes a back seat to the port finish in early sips. Letting it sit in the glass helps balance the sweetness with the dry spice and structure of the underlying rye.
Food Pairings
This dram pairs beautifully with hearty, festive dishes. Roasted duck with cherry or fig glaze, pork shoulder with cranberry compote, or venison stew all echo the richness and spice. A cheese pairing of aged Gouda, Stilton, or Gruyère brings out the dram’s nutty and creamy undertones. For dessert, serve it with pecan pie, ginger cake, fig-and-honey tart, or dark chocolate truffles with dried fruit.
Craftsmanship
High West Distillery, located in Park City, Utah, is known for its creative blending of sourced and in-house rye whiskeys. A Midwinter Night’s Dram is its most celebrated annual release, blending spice-forward rye with port wine cask influence to evoke the warmth and richness of the winter season. Each year’s release is marked as an Act, and individual bottling runs are labeled as Scenes. Act 11 continues the tradition with lush fruit, subtle spice, and a balanced structure designed for slow sipping and winter celebration.
