After my second or third Whiskeyfest, the event took on a new dimension.  It actually became a social event – I would see acquaintances that I had not seen or touched base with since the last Whiskeyfest.  After skipping the 2010 Whiskeyfest, the same phenomenon renewed itself this past November – within 10 minutes of entering the floor, I spotted someone who was originally a professional acquaintance but then became a Whiskeyfest acquaintance.  After we exchanged greetings, he urged me to go to the High West table and try the 21 year old rye, which was a VIP Hour only pour.

Rye whiskey is not a very common item.  There just aren’t that many brands of it out there.  There are hundreds of scotches, dozens and dozens of bourbons, but only a few dozen brands of rye.  However, despite the relative scarcity of rye whiskey brands, the distilleries have not failed to notice the hefty price tags that craft and highly-aged spirits command, which means that in rye, perhaps more so than in other grain spirits, you have a huge dichotomy in pricing – you can find straight rye whiskey for as little as $16, and ranging up as high as $350.  I’m sorry, but when a selection of 36 whiskeys (see www.Binnys.com ) has that wide a range in price, I feel that something is odd.

Getting back to the topic at hand, High West Rocky Mountain Rye 21 year old seems to command a price between $115 and $145.  It’s definitely an excellent rye whiskey – there’s no question about that.  In the dry, spicy flavor profile typical of rye, the spicy character is mellowed somewhat – most likely by the aging.  I can definitely see this as a special occasion whiskey, but as I have written in the past, there are too many very good rye whiskeys available for $35 and less to justify buying Rock Mountain Rye 21  on a regular basis.