Westward American Single Malt Whiskey
45% ABV
$70
Website
What the Distillery Says
Single Malt, reimagined. Born of the unique culture, climate and abundant resources of the Northwest, this elevated American original demonstrates our craftsmanship and creativity. Our distinct, rich, and brazen American Single Malt — the pinnacle of whiskey. Created from locally malted barley, brewed with ale yeast for exceptional flavor, and matured to perfection in new, lightly charred American Oak barrels right here in Oregon, where our hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters are the ideal environment to raise a world class whiskey.
What Gary Says
Nose: Barley malt, vanilla crème brûlée fresh from the oven, allspice, butterscotch, banana, apricot and walnuts.
Palate: Rich mouthfeel, fruity with pears, peaches and bananas, cinnamon, honey, chili spice gives way to butterscotch and malted milk chocolate.
Finish: Moderately long and damp, with honey and subtle spice notes.
Comments: A nice dram that runs the gambit from fruity to spicy. Quite different from a ‘single malt’ Scotch for more reasons than I’ll try to list here. The more I tried this, the more I liked it (and I don’t mean in a single sitting). Initially I was less impressed, but the more time I spent with it – found it sneakily complex. Now the price point makes it tough, as there are plenty of whiskies at this price point I enjoy much more – but I’d look at it like being an early adopter of sorts. Part of the challenge is that there isn’t a huge distiller doing single malt at scale, so when you have smaller distilleries you’ll have more expensive whiskey. I haven’t bought much American single malt, but can see that changing in the future.