High West Yippee Ki Yay

A fun little experiment from the High West guys that became a mini phenomenon! But isn’t that how most great products begin? One day they decided to take their Double Rye and put it into oak barrels from a California winery that were used to age vermouth and syrah, and Yippee Ki Yay was born.

One almost imagines the name came from the reaction of Dave Perkins, the founder, when he first tasted this stuff! Or, perhaps they are just Die Hard fans like the rest of us. Or, as the distillery puts it mysteriously – “Was it influenced by the phrase ‘Yippie-yi-yo-ki-yay’ from the 1936 hit song “I’m an Old Cow Hand from the Rio Grande” about a 20th-century cowboy who has little in common with cowpunchers of old and sung by Bing Crosby in the film “Rhythm on the Range” (also sung later by Roy Rogers and Frank Sinatra) and considered one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time”?

We’ll never know. But Yippee Ki Yay is exactly what we want to shout when we taste this stuff! Think of it as a lazy man’s cocktail. A perfect drink on the rocks, as an aperitif or when entertaining guests who keep asking you to whip up another batch of cocktails. Just pour a little of this on the rocks and send them off! Also amazing in a Manhattan by the way. 

The whiskey itself is made by blending two straight rye whiskeys. One is young, at around 2 years and made by MGP folks with a mashbill that is 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The older one (supposedly 16 years old as per DrinkHacker.com) and made at Barton Distillery with 53% rye and 37% corn. 

This limited release bottling was only available at the distillery in Utah till now. For those of you unable to make the trip, this is your chance to try it! Yippee Ki Yay!!

Tasting Notes:

•Color: An unusual beautiful ruby red (from the Syrah barrel finish)

•Nose: Fresh cinnamon stick, crushed blackberries (cassis) with some herbs (thyme and sage) in the background.

•Taste: A big, bold punch of cinnamon spice and blackberries on a foundation of vanilla and caramel, the long finish is dried orange rind and herbs.