Westland Distillery out of Seattle, Washington, recently announced it is making a change to its core range by introducing a new Flagship American Single Malt Whiskey, which is making its way to store shelves now.
The distillery’s American Oak, Peated and Sherry Wood offerings … now referred to as the Heritage range … will slowly disappear from those shelves.
Westland noted that while this may seem like a dramatic change, “it’s really just a pragmatic evolution after 10 years establishing itself as a leader in the American Single Malt Whiskey category.”
So why is Westland launching a new flagship whiskey?
Distillery officials said that after a decade of making single malt, the time was right to look forward once again. They walked the rows of their rackhouses and found a vast array of whiskey they now have to work with. In this new expression, simply called Westland American Single Malt Whiskey, Westland’s Master Blender, Shane Armstrong, is said by the brand to have mined those stocks to create a single malt that expresses the fundamental character of an evolving distillery.
Still rooted in Westland’s signature 5-malt barley bill and new oak maturation, the new flagship whiskey adds what’s described as further dimensions from their expanding inventory of whiskey. The result is a nuanced and balanced single malt that represents the essence of Westland in this day and age.
In going this direction Westland has ceased production of its existing core range of whiskeys, the American Oak, Sherry Wood, and Peated. As soon as the last of those bottlings leave the shelf, you’ll no longer be able to find them.
The new flagship expression will become the main entry point into the world of Westland. The Sherry Wood and Peated expressions, in their current form, have run their course, distillery officials said. Sherry Wood is made using casks that, by their nature, are unsustainable. It is believed by them that if the Sherry industry continues to struggle, the supply of quality sherry casks will ultimately dry up.
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Regarding Westland’s Peated whiskey, their work to develop a reliable and compelling supply of malt grown and peated locally in Washington State gives the distillers a reason to step away from imported peated malt from Scotland for future production.
More official information on the new core whiskey offering from Westland can be found below.
The Flagship Westland American Single Malt Whiskey
- Release Date: Spring 2021
- Format: 750ml
- Minimum Maturation Time: 40 Months
- ABV: 92 proof
- Suggested retail price: $59.99
- Grain bill
- Washington Select Pale Malt
- Munich Malt
- Extra Special Malt
- Pale Chocolate Malt
- Brown Malt
- Bairds Heavily Peated Malt
- Cask types
- Cooper’s Reserve New American Oak
- Cooper’s Reserve Used American Oak
- First Fill Ex-Bourbon
- First Fill Ex-Oloroso Hogsheads and Butts
- Second Fill Ex-Oloroso Hogsheads and Butts
- Yeast strain
- Belgian Brewer’s Yeast
- Fermentation time
- 96-144 Hours
- Tasting notes
- Nose: Custard filling, marionberry compote, maple brittle, toasted marshmallow.
- Palate: Almond nougat, crème brûlée, black tea, white flower petals, malted milk balls.
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