A midwinter nights dr whisky review

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A Midwinter Night’s Dram – Review

Color: Medium brown with ruby glints

On the nose: The initial impression is of caramelized brown sugar meeting a gentle note of dill, the latter being a telltale sign of MGP whiskey. There’s definitely the rich and round aroma of vintage port, but also some subtly smoky notes of campfire. With time in the glass this starts to take on the meaty, ferric quality of beef blood.

In the mouth: Starts with an elegant and fine presentation, harmoniously balanced between the intrinsic rye flavor and the port influence. There’s a bit more of an acidic character as this moves toward the middle of the mouth, though this evens out against some of the rich dark fruit flavors imparted by the port cask. Through the finish, there’s a peppery rye note, a bitter nip of dark chocolate, and a mild textural astringency, though there’s enough follow-through of the winey notes that these hard edges are once again softened.

Conclusions

I’m enjoying this a great deal, regardless of where it came from. This has a quality that can be elusive to those of us accustomed to (over)analyzing whiskey: the ability to hypnotize the taster with its deliciousness, short-circuiting the critical impulses and making itself disappear during the long, pleasant reverie of savoring the whiskey.

Returning to my star-crossed prologue: I am considering this in terms of additional flavor, and whether or not that results in a profile that is sufficiently compelling to justify the premium price. I’m happy to report that this is definitely the case. That port note is distinct, delicious, and plays well against some of the sharper aspects of the rye, particularly MGP’s hallmark dill flavor. This isn’t quite the revelation that Wild Turkey Revival was, but it’s a solid pour for the price. I’d be a repeat buyer at $100-and-under, as this is – appropriately – an ideal palliative for the winter (of our discontent).