Westland Hand Filled Distillery Only 5 year Old Moscato Finish

Receiving another complimentary sample from the SDT. This time we're examining a whiskey category on the rise: American single malts. The Westland distillery is located in Washington state. A fellow tour participant hand-selected and bottled this particular flask during a distillery visit. This vessel, #167 from cask #4856, is presented at 53% ABV, remains unfiltered by chill processes, and displays a natural dark red/brown mahogany hue. This five-year-old expression underwent an unspecified duration of finishing in a moscatel sherry cask. From the distillery's website: Cask #4856 originated from four Moscatel casks, combined from six vatted 5-Malt New American Oak casks. The blend before the final cask treatment leaned towards bitterness, yet retained spicy and floral qualities. These characteristics provided a canvas for the sweet, floral notes of the Moscatel finishing cask to harmonize and complement, creating a rich overall profile. A robust, full, and powerful aroma. The sherry finish is potent, sweet, and notably rich. Notes of spicy oak, brown sugar/molasses, maple, caramel, and a close mint are present. Intense vanilla, toffee, and buttered toast aromas emerge, alongside a hint of dill. Fruity notes of raisins, dates, caramel apples, and a touch of bubblegum are detected. Mocha, chocolate, pecans, subtle ginger, and spiced fruitcake complete the olfactory experience. Adding water amplifies the sherry, mocha, and maple notes. A noticeable warmth on the palate, though quite pleasing. Exceptionally rich and full-bodied. Strong oak presence coupled with a deep, dark sherry reminiscent of first-fill Oloroso. Maple, candied bacon, caramel, butterscotch, and vanilla are apparent. Spiced fruitcake, chocolate, cinnamon, clove, and ginger contribute to the flavor profile. A medium to full-bodied texture, with an oily and mouth-coating sensation. A lengthy finish featuring warmth, sweetness, and richness. Sherry, oak, and fruitcake notes persist. What a delightful surprise to encounter an American sherry bomb. It evokes a blend of GlenDronach and Elijah Craig. Abundant flavor and potency behind the 53% ABV. Water offers slight improvement but isn't essential. The price point is unknown as the bottle was complimentary, but if it retails below $60, I'd recommend purchasing it without hesitation. Between $60-$100, perhaps, if you appreciate sherry bombs and seek something distinct. Above $100, justification becomes difficult. A solid score of 4.25. Cheers

First, I must apologize for the jumbled upload of this. I'm part of the beta testing for direct item additions. As you can see, simply "Westland" isn't a complete description. I intended to write "Westland Hand-filled Distillery Only 5-Year Moscato Finish." And, as you can also see, my photo placement skills leave much to be desired. Anyway... onto the review: this is a distillery-only bottling, nearly five years old, made from five types of barley, aged in American oak, and then transferred to moscato wine barrels. I admire Westland for their inventiveness and commitment to local sourcing, and it's evident in their quality. They focus solely on making single malt whiskey and do it exceptionally well. No gin, no vodka, no beer, no bourbon. They were funded by early investors for several years, allowing them the luxury of not needing a revenue stream until the whiskey matured, which is rare for new craft distilleries. They don't source their whiskey; instead, they use only local Washington state barley (take note, High West and Whistlepig!). They are doing some truly remarkable work with local peat (yes, I was surprised to learn Americans have peat!) and organic heirloom barley. In about two years, they will be the first whiskey makers to use heirloom barley from seeds hundreds of years old. That barley is blue... it will be interesting to see how it affects the whiskey. So, this distillery-only bottling is distinctive... the aroma is like chocolate liqueur, such as Godiva, and there's an initial heat on the palate that soon settles into a Christmas cake flavor. Considering it's their first nearly five-year-old release and their only moscato finish... it's a must-have if you're a Westland enthusiast. If you've tried their previous offerings, this one surpasses them. I'd say it's on par with, if not better than, their Garryana 2017. Superbly crafted with care and quality as priorities.

This whiskey originates from the Westland distillery in Seattle, Washington. They permit visitors and tour attendees to personally fill a bottle of their continuously aging whiskey to take home. A companion of mine from NJ took a private tour and managed to acquire a bottle of what is now a five-year-old, having matured in an ex-Moscatel wine cask. This was bottled at 53% ABV and presents as an amber-red, deep caramel color, yielding very oily droplets and slow-forming legs in the Glencairn. I believe his bottle was provided without charge, so value for money is neutral. I would estimate this bottle would cost the average person over $50-60. Let's see if it's worth that. The aroma was very sweet. Raspberries, grape must, and sherry are the dominant scents. There's no hint of alcohol and a very subtle cask note. Light vanilla and chocolate are also present. All the sweetness is very well-integrated and deep. Ready for dessert? The palate began with sweet, milk chocolate flavors, abundant sherry, and Moscatel wine grapes. It's relatively thick and coats the mouth heavily. It borders on excessively sweet. There's a little oak presence, but absolutely no heat. The finish is rich with chocolate, oily, smooth, and mouthwatering. It's slightly warming, and the sweetness persists for what I'd describe as a long finish. Overall, my expectations were extremely high, and this fell short because it truly needs more wood influence and heat. It could be drizzled over cake and/or ice cream and perform wonders. It's simply too sweet. There's a significant need for some zing or heat here. Thanks again, Mr B. If I were to purchase a bottle, I'd have to downgrade it, but for a complimentary bottle, it's a 4-star dram. Honestly, I feel 3.5 stars better reflects my overall tasting experience. Cheers.

Amazing, I got this from sample extras provided by a friend from the days of the SDT sample tour who was fortunate enough to go on a Westland Distillery tour and hand fill this bottle. From my tour mates' notes: Bottle #167 from cask #4856, bottled at 53% alcohol by volume. This has a gorgeous, rich amber-copper color. The aroma is full of sherry, baking spices, nuttiness, and a rich, bold, and full dark sweetness. Dates, raisins, and apples are coated in maple syrup, brown sugar, and caramel. It's all in a bowl of oatmeal. Ground cinnamon, pecans, and dark chocolate shavings are added for good measure. A perfect autumn breakfast for someone with a sweet tooth? It has a soft, velvety arrival, and like the aroma, it's thick, full-bodied, and full of flavor. Spice and sweetness. Dark chocolate-covered raisins, maple syrup, and sherry caramel provide a syrupy sweetness. A contrasting wave of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and wood spice balances the sweetness. Wood spices and a pecan nuttiness emerge as it fades. A final taste of wood spice, some dill, and fruitcake. A warmth lingers for a good duration. Ultimately, a woody dryness and some flavors I'd describe as similar to B+B (Brandy and Benedictine) finish it off. I've sampled several Westland whiskeys and enjoyed them, but this one truly impressed me. It's the best I've tasted from them by far. From beginning to end, a pleasant, sophisticated, and somewhat balanced dram. One you want to savor slowly to absorb all the flavors and aromas. Thank you to my friend for sharing this personally hand-filled dram. [92/100][Tasted:11/2/19]

This one receives an enthusiastic approval. Thanks to a friend for opening my eyes to an American distillery that actually produces a single malt. Wow, the nose is incredibly intense with a sherry bomb explosion, and you can detect spices, apples, and other ruby red fruits. It has a heavy mouthfeel that also reveals notes of milk and dark chocolate, espresso, maple syrup, hot buttered popcorn, and cinnamon on the palate. I've never tasted muscat grapes (from muscatel wine) before, but this is damn good. It's unfortunate that this bottle is rare, but I would certainly have no problem trying other offerings from them. A bit more age might make it even more compelling. A solid 4.5 from me.