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New Washington State Single Malt Made With Locally Sourced Peat

Washington State, as far as American single malt whiskey goes, is first and foremost known as being the home of Westland, one of the premier distilleries for this whiskey style. As we’ve touched up before, however, others make single malt there as well, such as Copperworks Distilling. Now, in a rather groundbreaking move, they’ve released one of the first ever American single malts made with locally sourced peat.

The new Copperworks Washington Peated Whiskey, according to those behind it, is Release 34 of the distillery’s American single malt series. For this specific offering the distillery team, working with local malting house Skagit Valley Malting, harvested peat from a lakebed near Shelton, Washington. Peat, for those that don’t know, “is decomposed organic plant matter that has been compressed in the ground for thousands of years. Peat is burned during the malt drying process and imparts a distinctive smoky flavor to the barley.”

Copperworks Washington Peated Whiskey
Copperworks Washington Peated Whiskey (image via Copperworks Distilling)

Being sourced from what’s described as “the only peat bog in Washington that can be commercially harvested,” it was used to add a smoky flavor to the Washington-grown barley that’s the grain for this release. Specifically, it was distilled from 100% of the Copeland variety of barley grown in Washington’s Skagit Valley and then aged for just over four years in lightly charred (char #1) new American Oak casks before being bottled at 52% ABV.

“We’re excited to release a peated whiskey that features the unique peat flavors from our home state of Washington,” said Jason Parker, Co-Founder and President of Copperworks, in a prepared statement. “The smoky flavors in this Copperworks whiskey release are more subtle than what you’ll typically find in Scotch malt whiskey as we worked to balance flavors of the Washington peat with the flavors of the Washington-grown barley and new Oak American casks.

“Using Washington-sourced peat gives our whiskey flavors of roasted almonds, toast, hickory, and a slightly briny earthiness in contrast to the notes of iodine, creosote, and seaweed that is often found in Scottish peated single malt.”

Copperworks Washington Peated Whiskey is available for sale directly through the distillery at the moment, pricing around $77 per 750 ml bottle. Plans call for it to eventually be available in select bars, restaurants, and liquor retailers in Washington State as well, with just 1,934 bottles being produced. Official tasting notes are below.

This release offers aromas of campfire, roasted tomatoes, and exotic spices. Flavor notes of roasted almonds, toast, and orange zest lead to a long finish of hickory, cedar, and wet earth, ending with pleasant briny and wood notes.

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