Westland Distillery opened in 2010, started by head distiller Matt Hoffman and Emerson Lamb. The core line of the distillery is made up of three single malts. This Westland Peated was first released in 2014 and is unusual because as experimental as American whiskey generally is, one element that’s almost never seen is peat. One of the more practical reasons for this is because peat is generally harvested from wetlands, and wetlands have been federally protected under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Thus, Westland imported peated barley from Scotland to add to their regular five-malt spirit to make this peated single malt. A fortunate loophole allowed them to recently start harvesting local Washington peat for future projects, but it will be a few more years before the results of that local element are released.
Distillery: Westland
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $77.99
Maturation: Cooper’s Select New American Oak, Cooper’s Reserve New American Oak, First Fill Ex-Bourbon
Location: Seattle, WA
Nose: Cedar resin, nuts, dried apricot
Palate: Peat, oak
Finish: Evergreen, astringent, oak
Comments: Curious about more Westland? Check out our review of their classic American Single Malt.
Adam – My least favorite of the main Westland line. With that caveat out of the way, I really enjoy the Westland Peated. The peat isn’t there on the nose, but you get that unmistakable wood resin that is the distillery’s signature, along with the barest whispers of fruit hanging out in the background, more memory than application. The gentle nose is just a hook to get you toward that first slip, then the taste envelopes the tongue with the peat on the forefront, riding roughshod over your taste buds. A slightly oily mouthfeel that doesn’t linger too long and washes away pretty clean. There’s a light finish that hangs out in the mouth for a bit without ever venturing into your chest and with it the peat disappears, leaving you with that lingering cedar or evergreen wood, almost pine-y. There’s some astringency but that tapers down if you let it sit in your glass a bit. This feels like an inverted V in experience, with a light nose and finish coupled with that giant splash of peat in the middle, a bold invader into gentler times.
It would feel really great if I had it during a damp day’s walk.
Peter – It’s viscous. The opposite of watery. After that, it comes at you with a sour note on the finish I don’t care for, but I really like the mouthfeel of it more than the taste.
Mary-Fred – Like a walk in the cedar woods. Big and brash on the tongue. It really does go big in a way I wasn’t expecting.
Caitlin – There’s nothing too thrilling on the nose. The big thing for me is the finish. It’s so long and lovely. It would feel really great if I had it during a damp day’s walk.
Ben – The peat is more of a feeling on the tongue. It’s the heat that isn’t the alcohol content. The Westland Peated warms you up deep down.
