High West Bourye Whiskey Review (2024)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Hybrids remain one of the great sleeper categories in American Whiskey. Defined as a blend of two or more major types of whiskey, the granddaddy was Wild Turkey Forgiven. That defunct expression is now more than a decade in the past, predating Eddie Russell succeeding his father as Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. It was allegedly the result of a batching/tanking mistake, and was a blend of Wild Turkey’s bourbon and rye.

To date, hybrids have only become a mainstay for one company: Virginia Distilling Company started out blending their in-house malt whiskey with imported Scottish malts. Even so, hybrids continue to enter the market from distillers great and small, and one example is High West Bourye.

Brought to us in periodic, limited releases from the Utah micro-distiller and bottler owned by Constellation Brands, Bourye is a blend of bourbon and rye (obviously: just read into the name). The label imagery is the mythical rabbit with antlers known as a jackalope. This year’s installment is made up entirely of whiskeys aged 10 years or more. The rye side presumably includes some of High West’s in-house production (an 80% rye, 20% malted rye whiskey), as well as some sourced MGP whiskey (High West has relied heavily on MGP in the past) and whiskey sourced from at least one other source. High West had previously built its reputation squarely on transparency in sourcing, but exactly who contributed what and how much was used in Bourye is a mystery. The blend is bottled at 46% ABV (92 proof).

The Whiskey
The color of my pour is light amber, almost so light that it could be taken for bronze in the right light. The nose is a syrupy one, leading with caramel and butterscotch with a wave of Constant Comment tea orange zest and spices following hard behind that candied lead. The palate continues to lead with a syrupy sweetness, akin to the orange zest and simple syrup that one finds in those just-add-bourbon Old Fashioned concoctions. Again, behind that is a wave of spiciness, which is now drier than on the nose. Notes of vanilla and dried, dark berries make a modest contribution. The finish is dry, spicy and winds down fast.

The Price
Bourye currently fetches $125 a bottle, at least according to official pricing.