Westland Distillery - American Single Malts

[ChainWhip]

Just an FYI-

A new distillery is opening its doors today in the SoDo area of Seattle:

http://www.westlanddistillery.com

They will have 3 Single Malts:

Deacon

Deacon Seat

Any undertaking – great or small – must have a beginning. It is the intention of this beginning, the way by which you set out, that is important. During the opening of the West, the first task for axe men in a new logging camp was to fell a tree, halve it, then lay it flat side up. This became the Deacon Seat, a bench that ran the length of the eventual bunkhouse and became the center of camp life. The Deacon Seat was a place to rest, a place to band together over a dram of whiskey, a place of level ground upon which to build one's place in the West.

This whiskey is our Deacon Seat. Our first step. It is the first whiskey released that will bear the Westland name and we put it forward proud of our beginning. For us, this American Single Malt Whiskey is our own crossing into a new frontier. Long years of work have been leading to this moment. That’s worth commemorating. While we take pause to acknowledge our start, we gather to look towards the endeavor before us with reverence, steel intentions, and the blood of stubborn, persistent ancestors in our veins. We will not disappoint them.

Flavor Profile Notes

The introduction greets the nose with aromas of orange marmalade, powdered doughnut and freshly made waffle cone. With a little patience and continued nosing the whiskey reveals even more in the form of crème brulee, mocha and apple fritter dusted with cinnamon.

The palate adds French vanilla custard to the waffle cone as well as a quick dash of pepper and ginger before settling on rainier cherries and bitter chocolate through to the finish.

Single Malt

Westland American Single Malt Whiskey

Our flagship Westland American Single Malt Whiskey represents the truest expression of our house style. At the core of this whiskey’s flavor profile is a grain bill comprised of five different roasted and kilned barley malts giving our whiskey a character unique to Westland Distillery. The base is a pale malt, grown in the State of Washington. To that we add specialty malts, a concept inspired by the vibrant craft brewing culture of the Pacific Northwest. Deep and rich in flavors, these specialty malts contribute to the whiskey notes of chocolate, nuts, cookies, pastries, mocha, caramel and raisins. Our Belgian brewer’s yeast further enhances flavor development, creating fruity esters during fermentation. And finally, maturing predominantly in the finest new American oak casks complements our other choices with vanilla, caramel and coconut notes, leaving us with an approachable and mature whiskey.

Peated

Westland Peated Malt

In large part, it was our love of peated whiskies that first lured us into this business. And while our Peated Malt expression accounts for just 20% of the annual production at Westland, the first whiff of smoke from the mash tun tends to be the most anticipated moment of the year here at the Distillery. Our peated whiskey is a vatting of two separate New Make spirits. The first is a mash of peated malt, among the smokiest produced in the new world (55ppm phenol content). The second comes from a mash of 100% Washington Select pale malt. When brought together we have a single malt whiskey encompassing a wide spectrum of peaty and smoky flavors without overwhelming the palate. The peat character is sturdy enough to satisfy the cravings of those looking for a solid dose of smoke while the pale malt component contributes grainy and fruity notes for those looking for something more familiar in the glass. Westland’s Peated Malt is filled into a variety of oak, including 1st-fill ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, encouraging a controlled and even maturation. The result is a flavorful, multi-dimensional yet balanced peated single malt.

Here's some background on the guys who started it:

http://mynorthwest.com/11/492039/Seattle-student-starts-distillery-with-high-school-friend

Seattle student starts distillery with high school friend

BY KIRO Radio Staff on June 3, 2011 @ 3:29 pm (Updated: 8:22 pm - 6/5/11 )

Matt Hofmann was an economics major at the University of Washington. In the beginning of his junior year, a high school friend came to him with an unusual business opportunity. It was one that prompted Hofmann to leave his college life behind.

The proposal was to start a distilling business making gin and whiskey.

Last June, Hofmann turned 21 and co-founded Westland Distillery with his high school classmate Emerson Lamb. He wouldn't disclose who the investors were, but says they've been extremely generous and patient with the process.

The founders leased two small warehouses in Seattle's South Park neighborhood in October and began experimenting with different ingredients to produce the spirits.

"This was sort of an idea that came about in chemistry class in (Bellarmine Preparatory) high school," said Hofmann. "When I got to college, I started doing a lot of experimental work in distilling."

Before they opened shop in October, Hofmann and Lamb went on a cross-country adventure to learn more about micro or 'craft' distilleries. They drove from Seattle to Atlanta, then to Virginia and finally over to Louisville, Kentucky.

According to Hofmann, the journey taught them all the little things they would've learned the hard way. They learned the proper way to incorporate ingredients into the alcohol, how long to age whiskey, and how much money to charge for a good product.

Hofmann admitted that the journey hasn't been easy. It took Westland's founders six months of paperwork and headaches to get the proper licensing.

"There's some weeks where it's every day," said Hofmann. "It's seven days a week most weeks. Very rarely does it (a work week) go below six days. Most of those days are 12-14 hour days."

The hard work and sacrifices are beginning to pay off.

Steve Hawley, marketing director at Westland, says the company's products will be served at the Experience Music Project's VIP party Friday June 3, celebrating the opening of the "Avatar" exhibit. James Cameron will be in attendance; he may even try a sip of their marquee 'Gimbal Gin'.

Hofmann's childhood friend and college dorm neighbor, Will Jafari, didn't expect Hofmann to leave UW so abruptly. Initially, Jafari thought Hofmann was taking a huge risk by leaving college. Since hearing about Westland's success with E.M.P. he now agrees Hofmann made the right decision.

"He is a really goal-oriented person," said Jafari. "He's always been an entrepreneur, always looking at the larger picture."

Westland's alcohol isn't available for retail sale yet, but Hofmann says they've made deals with various Seattle restaurants and bars. Their Gimbal Gin will be available this summer. They're also in the process of making a single-malt whiskey, similar to brands imported from Scotland.

"Making whiskey the right way is going to take time, and we're willing to make a sacrifice in the short-term to make it right," said Hofmann.

Westland distillery's tasting room will open to the public this summer.

[squire]

Hmm, if the photos on the web site are accurate somebody(s) dropped a chunk of change in this place.

[Josh]

Have they been reading my blog? I swear I used "powdered doughnut and freshly made waffle cone" as tasting notes before.

[squire]

Who knows, sounds like breakfast cereal.

[ChainWhip]

Have they been reading my blog? I swear I used "powdered doughnut and freshly made waffle cone" as tasting notes before.

LOL - you should hire AaronWF's lawyer ;-)

J/K

Really though, I may stop by today and sample the Deacon.

Edited October 28, 2013 by ChainWhip

[B.B. Babington]

they have a peated and another product comes in a box. looks like they're trying to market to guys that sip whisky from the other side of the pond. I did note they use new casks rather than re-use.

[squire]

When you fellows visit please ask them the age of these whiskys.

[ChainWhip]

When you fellows visit please ask them the age of these whiskys.

Haven't done the tour yet but was told they were just under 4yrs old.

Apparently a timber family of some means is bankrolling the operation.

[Yeti]

Hmm, if the photos on the web site are accurate somebody(s) dropped a chunk of change in this place.

Holy $#!*, you're not kidding. Looks like a $10 million build out. I hope the whiskey is good, because the distillery is beautiful. Would be a shame to go visit and taste bad whiskey.

[ChainWhip]

Other interesting tidbits (again, not confirmed):

- Westland is already the largest distillery in the state of Washington

- They are on the verge of being not able to call themselves a "craft" or "micro" distiller as they almost have too many barrels aging already

Edited November 11, 2013 by ChainWhip

[squire]

Four year old single malt that tastes like breakfast cereal, oddly, that sounds interesting.

[sutton]

Might go with that VOB BiB in the morning java ... :grin:

[squire]

I'm thinking oatmeal.

[wadewood]

Other interesting tidbits (again, not confirmed):

- Westland is already the largest distillery in the state of Washington

- They are on the verge of being not able to call themselves a "craft" or "micro" distiller as they almost have too many barrels aging already

There is no federal legal definition of craft or micro, but WA State does have it's own definition - 60,000 gal/year

http://lcb.wa.gov/enforcement/distillery-faq

[ChainWhip]

There is no federal legal definition of craft or micro, but WA State does have it's own definition - 60,000 gal/year

http://lcb.wa.gov/enforcement/distillery-faq

Thx Wade. It was some limit along those lines... (I must've misheard) Still, that they've quietly built a distillery of that scale is kind of weird.

I will seek clarification when I go visit in person.

Edited November 12, 2013 by ChainWhip

[ChainWhip]

Well, I didn't get a chance to ask the question about Micro's but I did get to go visit today and brought home a bottle.

Will write up a little something later with more details - short version is I'm optimistic these guys are and will do things right in comparision to other Micro's. The ~3 year old whisky we tasted showed promise.

[TunnelTiger]

Great pics CW, thanks. Hopefully some of this will make its way east & south.

[ChainWhip]

So few things from my notes...

Barley:

• Non-Peated Source: Skagit Valley, malted in Vancouver, WA
  
• 2 strains of barley used (2-Row & 5/6-Row I believe he called it)
  
• 5-Malt was a combination of 2-Row & 5/6-Row barley in 5 different malting levels
  
• Peated malt is imported from Port Ellen Maltings in Islay
  
• Plans in the works to produce custom peated malt from Pacific Northwest peat source near Shelton, WA
  

Barrels:

• Aged in Hoquiam, WA (close to Kurt Cobain's birthplace)
  
• 3 types of barrels used:
  
  • American White Oak: Heavy Toast/Light Char, air aged for at least 24 months
    
  • Ex-Bourbon Casks: Sourced from Buffalo Trace or Wild Turkey (because supposedly their barrels are also air aged > 18 months instead of kiln-dried)
    
  • Various Ex-Sherry Casks: Fino, Oloroso, PX
    

  [*] ~70-80% barrels are new White Oak Barrels (filled typically with 5-malt distillate)

  [*] ~10-10% of barrels are Ex-Bourbon casks (mostly filled with 2-Row malt distillate)

  [*] ~10% of barrels are ex-Sherry casks

Misc.

• Modified Belgian Saison Beer yeast use (can withstand higher ABV in fermentation tanks)
  
• Double distillation
  
• Target age of whisky aging in new oak barrels will is ~5-6yrs, ex-bourbon & ex-sherry will likely age longer
  

~80-90% of the aged stock is non-Peated single malt whisky and ~10-20% is peated whisky.

Edited December 29, 2013 by ChainWhip

[ChainWhip]

One of the co-founders (Emerson Lamb) was our tour guide and it was apparent his passion for his craft and for his family. His family has been in the Pacific Northwest for over 5-6 generations (~150 years) and they have been in the Timber industry for a long time - from this background, the patience in waiting for crop to mature translates into their approach in making whisky. The first expression out of Westland is called the Deacon Seat (matured over 3 years) and this harks back to his family's settler/logging roots. When surveying a stand of trees for logging, one typically would find a large tree near a clearing and fell that tree - this tree was then split length wise and was used as the centerpiece of life in a logging settlement. This was your bed, your table, your home, etc., and the camp bunkhouse was built around this "Deacon's Seat".

I liked the Deacon's Seat but given my recent streak of drinking barrel-proof/cask-strength whiskies, it did seem like a little more oomph would've been nice. There's a house-style that's got some good fruit elements to complement the malty nutiness in the distillate... I'm looking forward to seeing some older expressions from them for sure. There are at least two new whiskies coming out from Westland (one is a Peated Single Malt and other is a limited single-cask/cask-strength bottling that is a smorgasbord of peated and unpeated whisky aging in cask #29).

I have to say that I came away impressed with the way they're going about doing things and optimistic of their chances given their deep funding source. The co-founders spent some time touring the world and visiting over 100 distilleries. They even spent a good chunk of time at Bruichladdich learning and working at the distillery on Islay under the tutelage of Jim McEwan & crew.

Edited December 29, 2013 by ChainWhip

[sutton]

Thanks for that write-up - their barrel selection and aging regimen would seem like it would produce a nice comparison to a SMS.

[ChainWhip]

Forgot to mention distribution...

USA: the usual (e.g. Youngs, etc.,)

Japan: Number 1 Drinks

England: Master of Malt

France: La Maison du Whisky

[sob0728]

what was the price of the bottle you purchased? do you know how much the other items will cost?

[ChainWhip]

what was the price of the bottle you purchased? do you know how much the other items will cost?

Deacon Seat was about $30 before tax. I think the standard unpeated Single Malt is ~$55

[ChainWhip]

Westland will be releasing their first Peated Malt with a kick-off party @ the Vertigo Club in SoDo on 2014-02-22:

http://www.51eggs.com/wld_vertigo/

[ChainWhip]

I picked up the last two bottles in this picture to complete my vertical of Westland limited release bottlings today.

I've tried them all at the distillery in SoDo Seattle and Cask 29 is probably my favorite as it's got a touch of peat accompanied by the cask-strength oomph (story is that they randomly added different new makes to this barrel and promptly "forgot" about it)

Deacon Seat: http://www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey/deacon-seat

First Peated: http://www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey/first-peated

Cask 29: http://www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey/cask29

Cask 52: http://www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey/cask52

I love that the big bottles use the Japanese Style screw tops.