Westland Distillery is expanding its portfolio of Pacific Northwest-born single malts with a new addition to their Outpost Range, the Colere Edition 2 American Single Malt Whiskey.
Only 3,000 bottles of this 100-proof second edition are available, and it has a suggested retail price of $150.
A statement from Westland explained that the name Colere comes from the Latin verb meaning “to cultivate,” which represents Westland’s vision to venture into the thousands of uncharted barley varieties whose flavor has yet to be considered.
Edition 2 is made from Talisman, a 2-row winter variety of barley and the liquid is matured in used casks (42% second-fill ISC Cooper’s Reserve and 58% first-fill ex-bourbon) to relegate the oak influence to a supporting role and focus the attention on the grain itself.
The Westland team has worked for years with Washington State University’s Bread Lab, located in the Skagit Valley, and with local maltsters and local farmers to develop new varieties of barley.
The partnerships worked to prioritize what’s described as flavor in breeding barley varieties and more sustainable agricultural methods. To date, they have distilled more than 20 different varieties of barley in a decade and they’ve committed nearly 40 percent of their annual production to these unique barleys.
“Our second edition of Colere is another example of the possibilities a single malt has, especially when stepping out of the whiskey landscape we’ve inherited and are accustomed to,” said Matt Hofmann, Westland’s co-founder. “Already, only two releases in, we are seeing new frontiers opened as the exploration of new and ancient barley varieties continues. With this year’s release, it’s not just theoretical, you can taste the impact that barley has on the final flavor.”
The distiller’s notes for Colere Edition 2 finds aromas of dried lemon peel, vanilla frosting, and fresh raspberry on the nose. The palate features tastes of light brown sugar, dark chocolate orange, and mixed berry filling.
Trending Stories
Seattle’s Westland Distillery was founded in 2010 and acquired by Remy-Cointreau in 2017, and it said to have been recognized as one of the country’s leading producers of American Single Malt whiskey.
All of Westland’s expressions are distilled at the Seattle distillery from 100-percent malted barley and fermented with a Belgian Saison brewer’s yeast before maturing in one of a variety of cask types, including new American oak, ex-bourbon, ex-Sherry, and Garry oak.
For more information, check out www.westlanddistillery.com.
Latest News