Review - Westland Garryana 2018 Edition 3/1

This whiskey is the third in a series of an annual special release from the American distillery of Westland. This series uses casks made from Quercus Garryana, a regional species of oak that grows in the Pacific NorthWest coastal states of America. The series are believed to be the first whiskeys matured using this type of oak for nearly a century.

This third edition has used Westland's classic style spirit (made using their 5-Malt combination of different barleys) and a small percentage of their peated malt spirit. As well as using the Garryana oak casks this whiskey also uses pockets of spirit matured in virgin oak, first-fill ex-bourbon, first-fill ex-Port and refill ex-Westland whiskey casks. These are then marreid together to create the final whiskey.

Distillery Visit - Westland

The Westland distillery is located in the SoDo district of Seattle in the west coast American state of Washington. It was established by Matt Hoffman in 2010, who wanted to set up a craft distillery near to his home town of Tacoma following a period of studying brewing and distilling at Herriott Watt University in Edinburgh. Westland has recently been taken over by drinks company Remy Cointreau.

Washington has a vibrant craft brewing and distilling community. Washington and neighbouring Oregon are two of the major barley and hop growing areas in the world, which has driven this growth and vibrancy. The state also has a temperate climate and this is perfect for whiskey maturation.