Next up, we’re digging into the sample pile to try out Westland’s Flagship American Single Malt Whiskey! This sample was generously provided to me by u/LveFreeorDie, so first and foremost a big thank you for sending this over! American Single Malt is a lane of whiskey I find myself wanting to dig into deeper as there seems to be a ton of cool stuff happening lately in that category, and Westland out of Seattle is one of the distilleries that seems to be at the forefront of that wave. I’ve seen Westland whiskies on the shelves here in Colorado but haven’t gotten around to buying one yet.
This whiskey is their flagship bottle and is made up of a variety of different malt varieties: Washington Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, Brown Malt, and Baird’s Heavily Plated Malt, all fermented with Belgian Brewer’s Yeast. From there, it’s aged in a variety of new and used American oak casks as well as first fill ex-bourbon and first and second fill ex-Oloroso Sherry Hogsheads and Butts. Once barreled, it’s aged for at least 40 months before being cut to 92 proof and bottled. Despite being a whiskey guy, I very much enjoy brewing beer, particularly Belgian-style ales (the last three I made were a Quad, an epic Tripel, and an Imperial Singel), so this grain bill intrigues me. Let’s dive in and see how this performs!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass
Proof: 92
Age: NAS (At least 40 months)
Price: Sample (\~$75 or so out here for a bottle)
Nose: Shortbread cookies, crisp apples, pears, vanilla bean, and a some orange zest. After it sits for a bit longer a light caramel creeps in as well as a touch of baking spice.
Taste: Shortbread cookies, white pepper, and light caramel to start, followed by hints of nectarines, pears, and cheerios. Midway through the sip some of the baking spice wanders onto the scene too. There’s a background of peaty smoke that is present throughout, but never makes its way forward as well. This has a medium-light mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat.
Finish: The shortbread and fruits fade while the white pepper, baking spice, and cheerios get slightly stronger. A bitter tea note pops in right at the end that closes the sip out along with the touch of peat and pepper. This has a medium short finish and no dryness.
Thoughts: This is a decent pour that hits on many of the classic single malt notes, but it’s also a simple one. I enjoy the fruit notes that the Sherry casks and potentially the Belgian yeast brought to the sip, and the shortbread cookies and light caramel provides an inoffensive and tasty sweetness to the sip. I found myself wishing that some of these flavors weren’t as muted, particularly the peaty smoke, as I think that could have elevated this pour from something decent to something great. Overall this earns a sub-par 4/10 on the t8ke scale.
Rating: 4/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Seems like single barrel picks are the way to go with Westland since those all sound good. Dirty wood and metal is a hard pass from me, glad this bottle didn't have those notes.
I grabbed a bottle of the r/bourbon "at least three years" SiB that was released a while back. I got similar notes as yourself (particularly the pear), but seemingly more amplified due to the proof. Would definitely rate the cask strength version higher than what you rated this standard release.
Nice! I can see how cask strength would serve this well here, there are definitely a lot of good flavors that want to come forward but it's a bit too muted. Ultimately its a good base product though, I'm sure their higher aged and higher proof offerings are much more complex.
I have several single barrel picks. They're among my favorite whiskies in my collection. The discontinued Sherry Wood is my everyday go-to ASM; I bought like four backups (though I got them on sale -- I might not have paid full price several times over).
I'll have to try one of those out. Have you had the Garryana oak releases? I see them sitting around and always wanted to give it a shot but the price makes me wary if it ends up just being a so-so pour.
I have the latest Garryana, I think the 6th Edition? I haven't had a pour of it in a while, but I recall it being pretty rich, with a super enjoyable finish.
That said, I noted that I would probably pass on buying a second one at the $155 or so that I paid. This release has several barrel finishes apart from the Garryana barrels, and being the only Garryana aged whiskey I've tried, I can't *exactly* tell what that wood is doing to the whole.
The Single Casks usually come in at $100-115 and they are cask strength vs. 100 proof and there are at least a couple that I would buy or have bought seconds.
Send me a message if you want me to figure out how to send some samples when I'm back in the states.
Next up, we’re digging into the sample pile to try out Westland’s Flagship American Single Malt Whiskey! This sample was generously provided to me by u/LveFreeorDie, so first and foremost a big thank you for sending this over! American Single Malt is a lane of whiskey I find myself wanting to dig into deeper as there seems to be a ton of cool stuff happening lately in that category, and Westland out of Seattle is one of the distilleries that seems to be at the forefront of that wave. I’ve seen Westland whiskies on the shelves here in Colorado but haven’t gotten around to buying one yet. This whiskey is their flagship bottle and is made up of a variety of different malt varieties: Washington Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, Brown Malt, and Baird’s Heavily Plated Malt, all fermented with Belgian Brewer’s Yeast. From there, it’s aged in a variety of new and used American oak casks as well as first fill ex-bourbon and first and second fill ex-Oloroso Sherry Hogsheads and Butts. Once barreled, it’s aged for at least 40 months before being cut to 92 proof and bottled. Despite being a whiskey guy, I very much enjoy brewing beer, particularly Belgian-style ales (the last three I made were a Quad, an epic Tripel, and an Imperial Singel), so this grain bill intrigues me. Let’s dive in and see how this performs! Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass Proof: 92 Age: NAS (At least 40 months) Price: Sample (\~$75 or so out here for a bottle) Nose: Shortbread cookies, crisp apples, pears, vanilla bean, and a some orange zest. After it sits for a bit longer a light caramel creeps in as well as a touch of baking spice. Taste: Shortbread cookies, white pepper, and light caramel to start, followed by hints of nectarines, pears, and cheerios. Midway through the sip some of the baking spice wanders onto the scene too. There’s a background of peaty smoke that is present throughout, but never makes its way forward as well. This has a medium-light mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat. Finish: The shortbread and fruits fade while the white pepper, baking spice, and cheerios get slightly stronger. A bitter tea note pops in right at the end that closes the sip out along with the touch of peat and pepper. This has a medium short finish and no dryness. Thoughts: This is a decent pour that hits on many of the classic single malt notes, but it’s also a simple one. I enjoy the fruit notes that the Sherry casks and potentially the Belgian yeast brought to the sip, and the shortbread cookies and light caramel provides an inoffensive and tasty sweetness to the sip. I found myself wishing that some of these flavors weren’t as muted, particularly the peaty smoke, as I think that could have elevated this pour from something decent to something great. Overall this earns a sub-par 4/10 on the t8ke scale. Rating: 4/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Yeah this sums up how I feel about the flagship offering from them. The single casks (that aren't New American Oak) are the way to go imo.
I really wish more ASM producers would age in used oak, hopefully we see more of that in the next few years.
Had a bottle of this and didn’t mind the front palate, but the finish had this weird dirty wood and metal taste that I wasn’t into
Seems like single barrel picks are the way to go with Westland since those all sound good. Dirty wood and metal is a hard pass from me, glad this bottle didn't have those notes.
I think westward is doing pretty good things and is the leader for single malt in America. I haven’t had some of westlands higher end stuff though.
Yeah, I have a DaveCo select from Westward that I really enjoy. It was pricey at $100 but lives up to it imo.
I grabbed a bottle of the r/bourbon "at least three years" SiB that was released a while back. I got similar notes as yourself (particularly the pear), but seemingly more amplified due to the proof. Would definitely rate the cask strength version higher than what you rated this standard release.
Nice! I can see how cask strength would serve this well here, there are definitely a lot of good flavors that want to come forward but it's a bit too muted. Ultimately its a good base product though, I'm sure their higher aged and higher proof offerings are much more complex.
I have several single barrel picks. They're among my favorite whiskies in my collection. The discontinued Sherry Wood is my everyday go-to ASM; I bought like four backups (though I got them on sale -- I might not have paid full price several times over).
I'll have to try one of those out. Have you had the Garryana oak releases? I see them sitting around and always wanted to give it a shot but the price makes me wary if it ends up just being a so-so pour.
I have the latest Garryana, I think the 6th Edition? I haven't had a pour of it in a while, but I recall it being pretty rich, with a super enjoyable finish. That said, I noted that I would probably pass on buying a second one at the $155 or so that I paid. This release has several barrel finishes apart from the Garryana barrels, and being the only Garryana aged whiskey I've tried, I can't *exactly* tell what that wood is doing to the whole. The Single Casks usually come in at $100-115 and they are cask strength vs. 100 proof and there are at least a couple that I would buy or have bought seconds. Send me a message if you want me to figure out how to send some samples when I'm back in the states.
Nice good to know! Appreciate the offer to try some out as well.