When you visit Westland’s website, you’re brought to Westland’s Anthem, a short video showcasing the unique geography of America’s Pacific Northwest. The visualizations in the video are gorgeous, and really make you want to visit their distillery in Seattle, Washington. Their site is also very above board regarding their Distilling Specifications, including information from the Mash Bills to how long their stills run.

Now let’s get to the whiskey.  Westland's Peated American Single Malt, includes peated and non-peated malts.  The back label declares the whiskey a “bottling of two separate New Make spirits brought together after maturation.” 

Age:           Aged a minimum of 36 months 

Bottled at 46% ABV or 92 proof

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Nose:         77/100

Peat comes strongly to the front, followed by vegetation, pepper, alcohol, then a bit of fruit, closing with sweet malt. 

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Palate:        83/100

The palate like the nose begins with Peat with sea-salt, smoke and iodine close behind. Next we have bread and cake, with toffee or butterscotch notes as well. At the end of its journey, barbecue smoke comes in. 

Finish:        80/100

I’m left with a medium-oily finish that leaves your mouth pleasantly smoky and warm with notes of chocolate, malt and brine.

Overall: 80/100

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Recommendation:  I would definitely try this expression at a bar first, just to make sure you like the product, especially since the cost of a bottle could be considered high for some. If you’re a collector like me though, and you find a bottle around and you like what you’ve heard about it, then go for it!