High West is changing the cask recipe of its best-known seasonal rye for the distillery’s 20th anniversary. A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 14 keeps the series’ port-finished foundation but introduces Amontillado, Oloroso, and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks for the first time, expanding a formula that has historically leaned on Ruby and Tawny Port.

The whiskey begins with High West Rendezvous Rye, blending straight rye whiskeys aged between four and 10 years. The component recipes include a 95 percent rye MGP whiskey, High West’s own 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted rye distillate, and a Bardstown Bourbon Company component made from 64 percent rye, 30 percent corn, and 6 percent malted barley. Act 14 then moves that blend through its expanded mix of fortified-wine casks.

The result is bottled at 98.6 proof, or 49.3 percent ABV, non-chill filtered and without added flavoring. High West’s tasting notes point to wild strawberry, blackberry preserves, fig, blood orange, cherry fruit leather, cinnamon-dusted plum crumble, and apricot, finishing with jam-cookie sweetness and chai-like spice. The exact 98.6-proof figure is also a deliberate nod to body temperature.

The new Sherry component gives this year’s release a stronger editorial case than the usual annual rollover. Amontillado can contribute nuttier, drier character, Oloroso brings oxidative richness, and PX is known for dense dried-fruit sweetness; used alongside port, the three cask styles give the blender more levers than previous editions. Compared with Act 13, Act 14 is not simply the next numbered bottle; the cask recipe changes in a way likely to alter the final profile.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 14 is a limited U.S. release with a suggested price of $124.99. It is available through High West, the distillery’s online channels where shipping laws permit, and selected retailers.