Seattle’s Westland Distillery has only been in operation since 2010. Hard to believe since their Single Malt tastes like it has been perfected over decades. Yet, it was less than a year ago that their flagship whiskey, Westland American Single Malt burst onto the spirits scene. Crafted from a blend of five types of malted barleys, distilled in copper pot stills, aged in deeply charred new American oak barrels and brought down to proof with local Seattle water; Westland has a truly local product that speaks well of the region’s potential to craft world-class spirits.
Westland American Single Malt (92 proof)
Visual: Warm golden brown.
Nose: Spice with lighter notes of vanilla and caramel. Quite complex and intense with a lot of olfactory body.
Taste: Brown bread, sandalwood, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and a touch of minerality. Rich, deep and intriguing. Well developed and certainly not overdone.
Finish: Medium long with the more subtle sweet tones coming out to take a peek. You’d almost swear there was a touch of salt here as well. Perhaps due to the Scotch style distillation.
Overall: This is a young whiskey that acts a lot older than it is. The higher proof serves it well as it holds more of the terroir within the spirit. Lovely in the glass, this also works quite well in a Sazerac.
GSN Rating: A
For more information go to: Westland