HIGH WEST RENDEZVOUS RYE
Batch 14L10-B (2014)MASH BILL – Blend of MGP’s 95% rye / 5% malted barley and Barton’s 80% rye / 10% corn / 10% malted barley
PROOF – 92
AGE – NAS (blend of 6-year MGP and 16-year Barton according to High West)
DISTILLERY – High West Distillery
PRICE – $87
WORTH BUYING? – Yes
Back in 2024 I came across a clutch of old High West Rendezvous Rye releases from 2016, 2015, and this one from 2014. Those were the years when High West was still blending 6-year MGP rye with 16-year Barton rye. They cut the older Barton around 2018, gradually shifting the blend to include some of their own in-house rye distillate. So these older bottles are coveted by High West fans for the luxuriousness that 16-year Barton brings to the blend.
I’ve never been big on High West. Their products have always been on the pricy side and I seldom found them to be that memorable. But back when they were sourcing high quality Kentucky and Indiana whiskies, they did achieve some excellent blends, that 2015 Rendezvous Rye and some early Bourye releases among them.
From a consumer standpoint, in 2026 there is zero reason to post notes on this 2014 Rendezvous Rye. The chances of coming across a bottle still lingering on a corner store shelf like I did two years ago are slim. And none of these older releases are worth what a secondary pirate might try to gouge you for.
That said, despite my frequent comments here on the blog around price-to-experience considerations, I don’t ultimately write about whiskey with consumer questions front of mind. I’m here for curiosity. And I’m always curious to try whiskeys distilled or bottled some significant number of years ago. It’s arguably the most accessible means of time travel we have!
So here we are in 2026, one week after uncorking and two pours into this bottle—which, corked tight in 2014, froze in time two rye whiskies that began their lives in 2008 and 1998. A Zoomer and a Zillennial, if you subscribe to generational sub-divides. In 2014, time stopped for them at ages 6 and 16. They’ve missed these last 12 years (lucky them!) that would have made them 18 and 28 today. Breathing 2026 air after a dozen years in timeless slumber, what perspective will they bring here at my kitchen’s red table?
These brief notes were taken using both Canadian and traditional Glencairns.
COLOR – pale-medium dusty oranges with brass and russet-red highlights
NOSE – that classic herbaceous MGP 95/5 rye with its sprig of dill shows itself brightly right up front, then thick oozy caramel, an array of baking spices, brown sugar, a bit of chocolate and oak dust
TASTE – a nice creamy texture pulls the caramel note forward, surrounded by the herbal rye and baking spices, more and darker chocolate, some vanilla
FINISH – the dark chocolate and caramel notes swirl together, accented by the rye spice, with an easygoing warmth; and that creamy texture going syrupy, creating a sticky sensation that helps the flavors to linger
OVERALL – a very pleasing and bright MGP rye, with the older Barton providing weight
Luxurious indeed. Weighty without being heavy. And bright like polished brass and gold leaf. The youth of the MGP and the age of the Barton balance one another perfectly, with the darker flavors and thicker textural elements supporting the bright spice and sweet notes.
I’m a sucker for really good MGP rye. And this is really good. I think of it as an MGP rye because those notes dominate. But the Barton’s contribution is also very present, if quieter. It does make me think of generations and how they can work well together, the experience of age supporting the vibrancy of youth without either getting in the other’s way. The elder benefits from the junior’s energy. The junior benefits from the elder’s steady gravitas.
So while I’d never pay pirate prices for this, if I have the great luck to stumble across another 2014 bottle still priced at two digits I’ll likely jump at it. In the meantime, I’ll savor every sip of this magnificent rye.
And given the birthdays of these blended whiskeys, I look forward to sharing it with my Gen Z friends. As a Gen Xer, I find I get along with Gen Z quite well. We share a recognition of life’s darker sides, which the Boomers and Millennials seem more inclined to fear and deny. It makes sense to me that Boomers and Millennials feud. They are two large populations with decisive political power, and they know it. They both think they’re right, and, if you disagree with them, that it’s their job to correct you. So of course they would struggle with each other, whereas Gen X and Gen Z accept that we’re all gonna die, and you can’t take your political power or your white picket fence with you. Gen X has a rep for being apathetic that Gen Z doesn’t. But that’s a projection of the Boomers, who didn’t know what to make of Gen X preferring a good time to a “good war.” Gen Z helps Gen X navigate the changing language of identity and empathy. Gen X helps Gen Z keep calm when the power goes out or their smart phones die.
That’s my armchair gener-ization for the day. Please feel free to discuss it with someone not of your own generation, over a glass of whiskey that crosses generational lines.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 