A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 1. High West — the inaugural release of one of American craft whiskey’s most celebrated annual series: Utah straight rye whiskey finished in French oak port wine casks and French Limousin oak, a bottle that launched a tradition and now represents the rarest entry in the Midwinter Night’s Dram archive.
When High West released Act 1, the port-finished rye category barely existed in American whiskey. The concept was borrowed from Scotch — where port pipe finishing had long been a prestige technique — and applied to Utah straight rye with results that changed what collectors expected from High West. The port cask contribution: dark cherry, fig, dried plum, and a sweetness that complements rather than overwhelms the rye’s inherent spice. Act 1 is now a museum piece as much as a whiskey — proof of concept for an entire series, and the bottle that started it all.
Palate: Dark cherry, cocoa, cinnamon, spiced plum, rye spice, port sweetness, dried fruit
Finish: Warming rye spice, dark cherry, cocoa, lingering port sweetness
Specs
Distillery: High West Distillery, Park City, Utah
Style: Straight Rye Whiskey, Port Cask Finished
Finish: French oak port wine casks + French Limousin oak
Series: A Midwinter Night’s Dram — Act 1 (Inaugural Release)
ABV: 49.3% (98.6 Proof)
Size: 750ml
Browse the full High West collection at Wooden Cork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Act 1 so expensive? As the inaugural release of the series, Act 1 is the rarest and most historically significant bottle in the collection — demand from collectors far outpaces the fixed supply of original bottles.
Is Act 1 still drinkable or is it purely a collector’s bottle? It remains an exceptional whiskey — the port cask finish has only integrated further with time. But at current prices, most buyers treat it as a collector’s asset.
How does Act 1 differ from later Acts? Each Act in the series varies by blend ratios, age statements, and cask selection — Act 1 reflects the original formula before refinements introduced in later releases.
