Westland Garryana 2018 Edition 3.1

To wrap up my recent visit to Chicago, I stopped by Delilah's. It's a well-known dive in Lincoln Park that attracts a diverse crowd: people drinking beer at the bar, young adults sharing drinks at tables, and bourbon enthusiasts discussing pours with the staff. The place plays late 70s post-punk music. Delilah's is famous for its extensive whiskey collection, featuring around 800 bottles, including many hard-to-find, store-selected, and special editions. Choosing what to drink was tough, but I decided to begin with the Westland Garryana. I hadn't encountered it before and seized the opportunity. On the nose, I mostly detected malt and grain. The taste mirrored this, with an additional sweet coffee flavor (definitely coffee, not chocolate, for me) and wood notes. There's also a subtle, hard-to-identify spice and a bit of dryness, especially in the aftertaste. I suspect the Garry oak is responsible for the spice and possibly the dryness. Perhaps my perception would differ if I were more familiar with Garry oak, but I found it somewhat keen, though not unpleasant. I have a similar reaction to Mizunara oak. In summary, I appreciated the Garryana but wasn't completely won over. It's mellow, and the coffee note is unique and quite pleasing. However, it lacked a certain power, and I'm not convinced by the Garryana wood. The American single malt scene is producing some interesting spirits, and ultimately, I expected a little more.

Nose - (w/o water) Faint peat/smoke, sweet savory smoked meat, chocolate, light brine, chili pepper spice, reminiscent of a chocolate mole smoked ham (w/ water) Reduced peat/smoke, sweet soy sauce, salted sweet jerky, cocoa powder Taste - (w/o water) A bit dry, hot chili/pepper spice/tingle, light smoke, toasted/roasted barley, chocolate, sweet chili pepper turkey jerky, reduced teriyaki sauce (w/ water) still dry, reduced chili taste, sweet smoked jerky, more roasted/toasted barley, soy sauce chocolate Finish - (w/o water) toasted sweet chili tingle, sweet smoked meat, odd metallic sweet, chocolate, burnt sugar sweet (w/ water) lasting chili tingle, light metallic sweet jerky, toasted barley Score - 75/100 Final Thoughts - I believe I'm simply not a fan of Westland's products. Their spirit seems young and it shows (most are less than 4-5 years old) in the lack of depth. The raw toasted barley comes through and perhaps I'm not a huge fan of that? The garry oak imparts this salty sweet jerky note that I suppose I'm not a huge fan of. I can comprehend how people might enjoy this, but it's certainly not for me. Would I drink it if offered? - No Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

I truly appreciated the dram I had the other night. The peat was more subtle than anticipated (looking at you, Ardbeg). A superb example of American single malts; Westland continues to excel!

The peated malt is definitely detectable. Sweet, complex, evolving, intricate, and engaging. It's worth the expense to try.

Slightly smoky, very full, spicy. A tingling, strong whiskey with a wonderful aroma and taste.