High West The Prisoner's Share 750ML

High West The Prisoner's Share 750ML is a 102-proof (51% ABV) blend of straight bourbon and rye whiskeys finished in French oak red wine barrels from The Prisoner Wine Company. This collaboration between High West Distillery and the acclaimed Napa Valley winemaker produces a whiskey saturated with dark fruit, jammy sweetness, and layered oak spice rarely found outside limited seasonal releases.

Quick Facts: ABV: 51% (102 Proof)  |  Origin: Park City, Utah, USA  |  Blend of 4–15 Year Bourbon & Rye  |  Distillery: High West Distillery

Production & Heritage

High West Distillery, founded in 2006 in Park City, Utah, built its reputation on expertly blending sourced and house-distilled whiskeys. The Prisoner's Share draws from five distinct mash bills — ranging from a high-corn bourbon (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley) to a 95% rye whiskey sourced from MGP, alongside High West's own 80% rye and 20% malted rye spirit — all aged between four and fifteen years. After initial maturation, the blended whiskey undergoes a secondary finish in French oak barrels that previously held The Prisoner Wine Company's signature red wine blend from Napa Valley, California, imparting the deep berry and tannic complexity that defines this expression.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Cherry blossom and pomegranate arrive first, followed by macerated prunes, dried violets, and ginger beer. Deeper layers reveal dark mead and toasted cedar chips as the glass opens up.

Taste: The entry is honeyed and fruit-forward, with roasted figs and apricot jam on grilled brioche giving way to a mid-palate of black pepper, coconut pound cake, and French oak spice. At its peak, the wine-cask influence becomes unmistakable — grape jelly, blood orange caramel, and chocolate-covered cherry deliver a richly dessert-like character balanced by rye-driven pine and cedar.

Finish: Long and bold, closing with cold brew coffee, berry crème brûlée, and roasted pecans. Toffee sweetness and subtle demerara sugar linger alongside tannic oak structure from the French barrels.

How to Drink Prisoner's Share

At 102 proof, a few drops of water open the aromatics without dulling the wine-barrel character; neat sipping at room temperature is the ideal starting point to appreciate the full spectrum of dark fruit and spice. For cocktails, the bold flavor profile holds its own in several builds:

• Manhattan: The jammy red fruit and rye backbone amplify sweet vermouth rather than competing with it.
• Boulevardier: Fig and cherry notes dovetail naturally with Campari's bitter orange, creating a seamless integration.
• Old Fashioned: The wine-barrel sweetness reduces the need for added sugar, letting the whiskey's complexity take center stage.

Best For

• Gifting a whiskey enthusiast who already owns the standard High West lineup
• Side-by-side tasting alongside Midwinter Night's Dram to compare wine-cask finishing styles
• After-dinner sipping as a dessert-course alternative
• Adding a distinctive bottle to a curated American whiskey collection

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Prisoner's Share taste like? Prisoner's Share is dominated by dark fruit — fig, cherry, blackberry, and grape jelly — layered over toffee, French oak spice, and chocolate-covered cherry. The rye component adds balancing notes of black pepper, pine, and cedar beneath the rich, jammy sweetness.

How does Prisoner's Share compare to Midwinter Night's Dram? Both are wine-barrel-finished blends from High West, but Midwinter Night's Dram uses port and French oak wine barrels while Prisoner's Share specifically uses barrels from The Prisoner Wine Company's red wine blend. Tasters frequently note that Prisoner's Share recalls a particularly fruit-forward batch of Midwinter Night's Dram, with more pronounced grape jelly and jammy berry tones.

Is Prisoner's Share good for sipping neat? At 51% ABV, it is well-suited for neat sipping — the proof is assertive but manageable, and a small amount of water releases additional aromatic complexity from the wine-barrel finish.

Where is Prisoner's Share made? Prisoner's Share is produced by High West Distillery in Park City, Utah, using a blend of whiskeys that includes MGP-sourced bourbon and rye from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, alongside High West's own Utah-distilled rye whiskey.

What foods pair well with Prisoner's Share? Dark chocolate truffles complement the cherry and berry notes; aged Gouda or Gruyère stands up to the 102-proof intensity; charcuterie with fig preserves echoes the whiskey's fruit-forward profile; pecan pie mirrors the roasted nut finish; and smoked duck breast bridges the savory-sweet spectrum.

What sizes does Prisoner's Share come in? Prisoner's Share is available in the standard 750ml bottle size.

Is Prisoner's Share worth the price? Prisoner's Share positions as a premium limited-collaboration expression within High West's portfolio, sitting above core offerings like Double Rye and American Prairie but competing in the same tier as specialty wine-finished American whiskeys from other craft producers — its multi-mash-bill complexity and Prisoner Wine Company barrel finishing justify its premium positioning.

Why Prisoner's Share?

What separates this release from the crowded field of wine-finished whiskeys is the specificity of its barrel source — The Prisoner Wine Company's French oak casks carry the DNA of one of Napa Valley's most recognized red blends, and that influence is unmistakable in the glass. The five-mash-bill architecture gives blender David Perkins and his team an unusually wide palette to work with, balancing high-corn sweetness against aggressive rye spice before the wine barrels add their final layer. At 102 proof and with components aged up to fifteen years, the whiskey has enough structure and maturity to absorb the wine influence without becoming one-dimensional. For drinkers who appreciate what Midwinter Night's Dram achieves seasonally, Prisoner's Share offers a complementary but distinct exploration of what wine-barrel finishing can do to a well-built American whiskey blend.