Westland American Oak

Westland American Oak, 3 YO, 46 %

Westland American Oak

In Seattle, Washington, USA, you can find the Westland Distillery. It turns out these Americans make great single malt whiskey! And they are nerdy! And they are transparent, sharing a lot of cool info online. It is very rare to find this much details on a whisky:

Grain bill: Washington Select Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, Brown Malt

Cask types used: Cooper's Select New American Oak, Cooper's Reserve New American Oak, First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Yeast strain used: Belgian Brewer's Yeast

Fermentation time: 144 Hours

I just love details like that.

The Westland American Oak is available in Norway at NOK 921 (11403801), and in Sweden at SEK 799 (4063901/). You can also buy the Westland American Oak at USD 70 for a full bottle in select states.

Nose: Wow! Delightful notes of slightly toasted cinnamon sticks, demerara sugar, caramel, maple syrup and toast with orange marmalade. Very rich, complex and fruity. Needs a few minutes in the glass to open up, when when it does you are really rewarded. There's a touch of Christmas to the nose. Creme brûlée with a cinnamon dusting!

Taste: Rich and full-on mouthfeel. Quite peppery right off, then it calms down and the fruitiness, the caramel and the cinnamon comes through.

Finish: Medium long finish. Slightly oaky now, and tending towards dry for a split second, then the sweetness, the cinnamon and the fruits are back. Quite nutty - mainly almonds. Oranges, lemons and pine wood on the finish line.

Comments: A very convincing effort! Just three years old? Very exciting stuff going on in Seattle, I would say. This is on par with some of the best of the Nordics!

Score (88/100)

Sláinte!
- Thomas