Westland Distillery was founded in 2010 in Seattle by Matt Hofmann, and the Westland Sherry Wood is one of the three core offerings, along with the Peated and American Single Malt. Like those offerings, the Sherry Wood was moved to the distillery’s Heritage Collection in 2022 to make room for a new signature single malt expression. The base spirit of this whiskey is the same as the American Single Malt, fermented with Belgian Saison Brewer’s yeast, but then finished in ex-Pedo Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. While there are supplies out on liquor store shelves and this single malt is still available for purchase via the distillery’s online store as of this review, there is no more being currently produced.
Distillery: Westland
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $68
Maturation: ex-Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Tonelería del Sur
Location: Seattle, WA
Nose: Sherry, vanilla, sweet tarts, lemon oil, grass, brown sugar, chocolate, raisin
Palate: Brown sugar, pine, mint, cedar, chocolate, brine, oak, barley
Finish: Mint, seaweed, chocolate
Comments: No water is needed. If possible, sitting down with more than one Westland to compare is always fun.
Adam – I always think of the Westland Sherry as the most un-Westland of the core malts, because the sherry has much more of an influence over the base expression than the Peated malt did. The difference between the two is that the base spirit plays really well with that sherry. This isn’t some Speyside sherry bomb, however, for the sweetness plays surprisingly well with those strident Westland elements of chocolate, pine, mint and grain. A very pleasant sipping experience, especially given that this is likely a moderately young whiskey. This just goes to show that you can dress up in all sorts of finishes or strengths with a strong identity, dapper in all guises. It is relatively simple on the palate for me, or maybe the better word is straightforward. The taste does not evolve but then, with such a lovely flavor, this doesn’t really need to go on that journey. It’s all right there. Easily the strongest of the original heritage malts.
Kate – Light Honey color. Cherrywood, SweetTarts, something vaguely medicinal on the nose, along with lemon furniture polish. It smells the way I think of lemon merengue. The deeper I smell, the more I smell something very sweet. At the end is brown sugar and/or vanilla bean. The palate is very smooth. It is sweet, like a mint chocolate chip milkshake. Vanilla, vaguely oaky, with cereal notes. It is deceptive and a little dangerous in how smooth it is. The finish is long and fades slowly, like an echo. It isn’t terribly strong or spicy but settles into the corner to continue to listen to the conversations and occasionally chime in. I am glad to have visited the Westland Sherry but I also don’t feel like I need to live nearby. It definitely has the Westland signature with the mint chocolate profile. It is smooth and unique. I would probably choose it again out of a line up simply for the novelty.
Bill – The thing I get with Westland and this one too, is a brine and vegetal I associate with seaweed. I don’t mind this but I associate those flavors with them.
It smells the way I think of lemon merengue.
Henry – Sherry, brown sugar, and spice on the nose. Palate opens up to Westland’s signature note of oak, balsam, and toasted barley. The finish is long and lingering, with complex malty cereal notes which just won’t quit.
Ben – This is kind of what I expect from sherry in the nose and palate, along with the fact that it’s not a big sherry. I overall like it.
Michael – I was doing fine through the smelling and tasting experience, and then I breathed out after and suddenly there was pancake batter. I’m getting that mint chocolate chip milkshake on the nose now too, even if it’s the power of suggestion.
