Westland

AN AMERICAN SINGLE MALT WHISKEY

“Here in America, we’re gifted the freedom to consider things differently. We’re predisposed and compelled to imagine new approaches. Frankly, we can’t help ourselves, it’s in our DNA.”

In America, there could not be a more ideal place suited to the production of quality single malt whisky. Everything about the Pacific Northwest is perfect whisky country. It has clean fresh water in abundance, plentiful and cascading from the surrounding mountains. The earth is black and fertile and ideal for growing barley. It is coastal, so the sea air marries well for maturation in American oak casks. There are local peatlands, so even the peat is part of the provenance of the whisky produced here. This is where Westland Whisky is distilled, matured and bottled, the essence of the Pacific Northwest.

The Westland Distillery was founded in Seattle, Washington in 2010 and is leading the charge for American Single Malt whiskey. These whiskies speak of a special provenance unique to this part of the world. Westland brings a distinctly American voice to the production of single malts.

The ethos of Westland is inspired by the wild western frontier where ancestors were restless, fierce and courageous explorers, settling only when they had ventured further than their spirits would dare take them; only when they were satisfied, they had exhausted all new territories.

At Westland it is this philosophy applied to the creation of its single malt American whiskies. It is about taking the path that has not been trodden and experimenting with the new. The new western frontier is whiskey and Westland stands at the forefront of the new and emerging category of American Single Malt Whiskey. In this region of the Pacific Northwest it is suited to making barley, not corn or rye as is used to make American-style Tennessee whiskey or bourbon. This part of America was calling out for a single malt whisky made with barley. It was clear from the start this region was meant to produce single malt whisky.

Westland’s core range of American Single Malt whiskey includes American Oak, Sherry Wood and Peated. Each expression defines the house style

“THE ETHOS OF WESTLAND IS INSPIRED BY THE WILD WESTERN FRONTIER WHERE ANCESTORS WERE RESTLESS, FIERCE AND COURAGEOUS EXPLORERS, SETTLING ONLY WHEN THEY HAD VENTURED FURTHER THAN THEIR SPIRITS WOULD DARE TAKE THEM; ONLY WHEN THEY WERE SATISFIED THEY HAD EXHAUSTED ALL NEW TERRITORIES.”

of a balanced, grain-focused whiskey that pays homage to traditional single malt whiskies but also creates something different. Westland produces single malt using traditional methods of production applied for generations in the old world but highlights the essence of place and provenance of the Pacific Northwest – the new world. It reflects the unique qualities of region, of place, while also imparting the characters of those who make it.

The provenance of Westland whiskey is key to its distinctive qualities. Single Malt whiskey by its very nature and existence is innovative. It explores exciting new territories of taste and has created a new whisky category. There are four key areas of Westland whiskey’s creation that make it unique - the barley, oak, peat and vatting.

The barley is 100 per cent Pacific Northwest grown and it is Westland’s belief that barley contributes significantly to a whiskey’s flavour. With this in mind, Westland embraces specialty malts and invests in new and unique barleys bred specifically for flavour. Barley is one of only four ingredients in a single malt whiskey, and Westland challenges the status quo by viewing barley as a key ingredient that has a huge influence on the palate. The team at Westland is manifesting its vision by investing in partnerships and resources who are assisting in the development of different and unique barleys.

The same importance is placed on oak, another key ingredient in the single malt production process. Westland insists on the quality of the oak and uses only air-dried staves in its casks, but more importantly, it explores new species of oak not yet used in the art of whiskey making to create character. Through bold experimentation with one of whiskey’s crucial elements flavour creation reaches new heights. Peat is also honoured in Westland’s whiskies and uses local peat harvested from Washington State peatlands thus exploring regionality. The flavour imparted by peat represents something significant historically, reaching back to the first whiskies ever made but the new world peat offers unique flavour profiles to an ongoing timeless record of peated single malts from the old world. Another exciting element explored by Westland’s team.

When it comes to vatting or blending of the single malts together from the different casks, Westland also looks at this necessary and important component in the art of whiskey-making and approach it differently. Rather than being standardized and formulaic as many distilleries are, this process as another opportunity for Westland to do things differently for a unique result.

All three of Westland’s expressions are made from 100% malted barley, fermented with a unique Belgian Saison brewer’s yeast and matured in a variety of cask types—leading to new and distinctly American flavour profiles – Westland American Single Malt Peated, Westland American Oak Single Malt and Westland Sherry Wood Single Malt Whisky.

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