High West Double Rye Review
High West Double Rye Review
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Quick Facts
Is This For Me?
You want a herbal, mint-and-dill rye for mixing. The cinnamon and pepper hold their shape in a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned.
You want a rich, sweet or oak-driven sipper. This is a light-bodied, low-heat pour, and several critics find the current blend thin on its own.
Flavor Profile at a Glance
What It Tastes Like
Nose
Dill and mint lead, over herbal and clove notes with a thread of anise.
Palate
Cinnamon and vanilla up front, then pepper, anise and herbal notes with cooling mint.
Finish
Medium-length and gently warming, with lingering cinnamon and a dry, peppery close.
Best Ways to Enjoy
Neat
Let it breathe for a few minutes. The rye spice opens up, with cinnamon and mint behind it.
With Water
A few drops soften the pepper and open up the vanilla and herbal side.
On Ice
A cube mellows the herbal edge and brings the cinnamon forward.
Cocktail
Shines in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned where its spice backbone cuts through sweet vermouth and bitters.
Cocktail Scores
Price & Value
At $30–$40 Double Rye is priced as an everyday bottle and is widely discounted below its $37.99 suggested price. The crowd rates it well at that money; the critic reviews of the current blend are more mixed, several of them noting that the 2018 recipe change cost the whiskey some of its depth. Treat it as a dependable cocktail rye at a fair price rather than a bargain sipper.
Bottle Transparency
- DistillerMGP (Lawrenceburg, IN) + High West Distillery (Park City, UT)
- Mash BillDual blend (95/5 MGP + 80/20 High West)
- Age StatementBlend of 2–7 year straight ryes
- BarrelNew charred American oak
- Chill FilteredNo (non-chill filtered)
- Added ColorNot disclosed
- Bottled ByHigh West Distillery, Park City, UT
High West Double Rye Review — A Divided Everyday Rye
High West Double Rye is two different whiskeys depending on when you bought it. Until 2018 the blend married a two-year MGP rye to a sixteen-year Barton rye, and the reviews from that era are some of the warmest this bottle has ever had. Since 2018 the old component has been replaced by High West's own house rye, aged up to seven years, and the critics who have tasted the newer blend are markedly cooler on it. Both versions are in the rating pools behind the score above, which is part of why those pools and the critics do not agree.
On the nose the herbal side leads: fresh mint and dill, a clear thread of anise and clove, and cinnamon behind them. Reviewers of the current blend describe it as restrained rather than loud — one calls the nose weak, another the high point of the pour — but the mint-and-dill signature is the one thing nearly all of them name.
The palate is lighter than the 92 proof suggests. Cinnamon and vanilla arrive first, then pepper and a dry, herbal middle with cooling mint. Sweetness is modest and oak barely registers — one reviewer of the 2020 bottling found tannins all but absent. The finish runs medium rather than long, closing on cinnamon and pepper.
Where Double Rye still earns its keep is in cocktails. The herbal, peppery backbone reads clearly through a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, and the modest sweetness leaves room for vermouth and bitters.
At its usual price it is still a sensible cocktail rye, and the retail and community pools rate it highly. But the independent critics who have reviewed the post-2018 blend are a good deal less enthusiastic than the crowd, and that disagreement — not an unqualified recommendation — is the honest summary of where this bottle stands.
Community Tasting Notes
Drinkers and critics disagree about this bottle, and the gap is wide enough to state plainly. Across the sources behind this score, the retail and community rating pools average around 4.0/5 while the independent critic reviews average around 3.4/5 — a spread of roughly 0.7. Most of the critic reviews that score the whiskey lowest were written after High West changed the blend in 2018; the large rating pools have been collecting scores across both recipes since 2011. Read the number as a genuine split, not a settled verdict.
Top Reported Flavors
Typical Spread of Opinion
Illustrative shape derived from the average and the range of scores — not a published per-star breakdown.
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- Exceptional value at $30–$40
- Bold, spice-forward flavor profile
- Versatile — excellent neat and in cocktails
- Non-chill filtered
Cons
- Herbal/mint notes may be polarizing
- Formula changed in 2018 (no more 16-year component)
- Limited age transparency on current bottles
How High West Double Rye Compares
Shopping the same shelf? Here is how High West Double Rye stacks up against the ryes buyers cross-shop it with most — its pricier stablemate High West Rendezvous Rye, the bottled-in-bond value benchmark Rittenhouse BiB, and fellow high-rye MGP pour Bulleit 95 Rye. For a softer, sweeter, double-oaked take on the same 95% rye recipe, see our 2XO White Oak Rye review. For a same-brand step up in proof and pedigree, see our High West Bottled in Bond Rye review. Craving something bolder and cask-strength? Compare our Barrell Craft Spirits Rye review.
| Whiskey | Proof / ABV | Type | Mash Bill | Age | Typical Price (750ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High West Double Rye | 92 / 46% | Blend of straight ryes | 95/5 (MGP) + 80/20 (High West) | ~2–7 yr | $30–$40 |
| High West Rendezvous Rye | 92 / 46% | Blend of straight ryes | High-rye blend | ~4–9 yr | $65–$75 |
| Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye | 100 / 50% | Straight rye (BiB) | 51% rye / 35% corn / 14% malt | ≥4 yr | $25–$30 |
| Bulleit 95 Rye | 90 / 45% | Straight rye (MGP) | 95% rye / 5% malted barley | ~4–5 yr | $28–$33 |
The takeaway: Double Rye's dual-distillery blend gives it a more herbal, mint-and-dill character than single-source MGP ryes like Bulleit 95, while sitting well below Rendezvous on price. If you want higher proof and a bolder cocktail base for the money, Rittenhouse BiB is the value play; if you want High West's most refined expression, step up to Rendezvous. For everyday sipping and mixing, Double Rye is the versatile middle ground. See more head-to-head picks in our rye whiskey reviews.
Where to Buy & Price
High West Double Rye is widely distributed nationwide and typically retails for $30–$40 per 750ml, making it one of the better-value blended straight ryes in its class. You'll find it at most large liquor retailers, Total Wine, and online marketplaces such as ReserveBar and Caskers, as well as direct from High West where shipping is permitted. Because it is a core, non-allocated bottle, there is rarely any need to pay a secondary-market premium — if you see it far above $45, keep shopping. It's a natural first bottle for anyone building a rye cocktail bar; put it to work in our Rye Manhattan and Rye Old Fashioned recipes.
RyeCentral does not sell alcohol. Prices are typical U.S. retail ranges and vary by state and retailer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Work back from all of our straight rye reviews to see how it fits the set.
Many drinkers pair it against Templeton 6 Year Old Rye review.
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