Utah distillery High West is primarily known for their great sourced whiskeys and blends, but they also distill their own whiskey, and they have been slowly releasing it to the public. The only aged whiskey made from their own distillate which they are currently selling is Valley Tan. Previously, Valley Tan was an oat whiskey (85% oat, 15% barley), but for this third release, they've combined the oat with a wheat whiskey (90% wheat, 10% barley). It is aged in a combination of new and used barrels and contains whiskeys from one to six years old. It is only available in Utah.
High West Valley Tan Utah Whiskey, Batch 3, 43.5% ($50)
The nose is grainy and grassy. The palate is sweet with grassy and floral notes. It's got a sweet, mild finish.
I'm not usually a fan of young, craft whiskeys, but this one is quite nice. It's got the grainy notes all craft whiskey seem to have, but it lacks any of the harshness. It's quite pleasant - definitely one of the better craft whiskeys I've tried.
Thanks to High West for the sample.
I'm a big fan of High West's sourced whiskeys, and their unaged whiskeys have also been better than most, so I'm not surprised that the lightly-aged Valley Tan has been widely embraced in the reviews I've seen.
ReplyDeleteToo bad I don't live in Utah instead of the People's Republic of Pennsylvania!