There’s something about cooler weather that makes a good rye whiskey taste even better. Add a crackling fire, a comfortable chair and maybe a holiday cookie or two, and you’ve got a pretty good argument for staying home.

High West Whiskey seems to agree, and its latest A Midwinter Night’s Dram gives whiskey lovers another reason to look forward to the colder months.

The Utah distillery is bringing back its annual fan favorite with Act 14, a limited release that arrives just in time for fall and the holiday season. It also happens to be a milestone year for High West, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

For this year’s edition, High West is taking its familiar rye whiskey and port-cask finishing program in a new direction, adding three types of sherry barrels to the mix. If you thought the previous releases had already found their winter groove, Act 14 has a few new tricks up its sleeve.

A Little More Sherry for the Season

At the heart of A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 14 is a blend of straight rye whiskeys aged between four and 10 years. Traditionally finished in Ruby and Tawny Port casks, the whiskey now gets additional time and influence from Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry barrels.

That’s quite a party of casks, each bringing its own character to the glass. The new sherry finishes are intended to add richness, complexity and depth, building on the fruity, spice-forward character that has made this annual release a favorite among High West fans.

The blend draws from several whiskey mash bills, including rye whiskey made with 95% rye and 5% malted barley, a High West Distillery recipe featuring 80% rye and 20% malted rye, and another blend with a mix of rye, corn and malted barley.

Act 14 is bottled at 98.6 proof, or 49.3% ABV, and is non-chill filtered with no flavor added. That proof also happens to match the familiar number associated with normal human body temperature. Coincidence? Perhaps. But for a whiskey designed for cold-weather sipping, it’s a rather fitting detail.

Think Fruit, Spice and Dessert

High West describes a nose of wild strawberry, blackberry preserves and fig, followed by a palate featuring blood orange, cherry fruit leather, cinnamon-dusted plum crumble and apricot scone.

The finish brings things home with notes reminiscent of a jam thumbprint cookie and spiced chai. In other words, this is a rye whiskey that seems perfectly comfortable sitting at the dessert table.

The combination of port and sherry cask influences should appeal to drinkers who enjoy a little fruit and sweetness alongside rye’s familiar spice. And with the holidays approaching, those flavors sound right at home beside a plate of cookies or a slice of something made with cinnamon.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving dinner or the first snowfall to open a bottle. High West recommends drinking Act 14 neat, which seems like a sensible place to start before deciding whether your fireplace, favorite chair and evening plans need anything else.

A Winter Tradition Turns 14

Over the years, A Midwinter Night’s Dram has developed a following among whiskey drinkers who look forward to seeing how High West changes up the annual release. Act 14 continues that tradition while giving the finishing program a more adventurous twist.

The timing also makes it an appealing candidate for holiday gifting, assuming you can find a bottle before the limited supply disappears. With a suggested retail price of $124.99, it sits firmly in special-occasion territory, though longtime fans of the series likely won’t need much encouragement to give it a look.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 14 is now available, in limited supply, at High West General Stores and through High West’s online store, with a limited nationwide release while supplies last.

Twenty years in, High West is celebrating its anniversary with a whiskey that looks backward to a well-established tradition while adding a few new barrels to the story.

And if those jam-cookie and spiced-chai notes deliver as promised, winter might have just found its official pour.