Westland single malt, cask 177

I know you're asking, How deep can a Westland man stan? Everyone has his/her/their limits. Por ejemplo...

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The next pair of Westlands I'm comparing were both 45 months old. Today's whisky (177) was from a 1st-fill bourbon barrel, tomorrow's (3204) from a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead. The former came from Washington Pale Malt, the latter from heavily-peated sourced malt. They were released three years apart.

Released four years ago, during the distillery's indie phase, cask 177 has lightest color and has the most straightforward production of the six Westlands I'm reviewing, so I'm much intrigued.

Unintentionally the ugliest background I could possibly find

Distillery: Westland
Region: Seattle, Washington
Age: 45 months
Mashbill: Washington Pale Malt
Yeast: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast
Fermentation: 144 hours
Maturation: "1st Fill Ex-Bourbon"
Cask #: 177
Release: December 2015
Outturn: 176 bottles
Alcohol by volume: 59.3%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose is very scotch-y. Oranges, citronella, hot plastic, some oceanic hints. Feels a bit closed. Dried thyme. Gravel. The HOT palate eeks out some oak spice, salt, some mild nutty barley. Feels a bit closed. Faint vanilla and butterscotch. Nothing but heat, salt and vanilla in the finish.

Feels a bit closed.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose still hews close to bourbon cask Speyside. More fruit in the mix: apples, pears and lychee. Less gravel, more dried herbs. A pear note arises in the palate, reminiscent of Glenfiddich but with some actual eau de vie added. Some tannins, acidic notes. Not much else. It finishes with heat, salt and tannins.

More water, like enough to make Ralfy nod in approval.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or 1 tbl of water per 30mL whisky
It still noses well. Pears, roses and citronella. The palate gets a little sweeter, brighter. Vanilla and florals. The finish reads like one of the basic Glens.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The palate was very inexpressive for a Westland. I know my palate was not the problem because I sipped some of the regular range just to be certain. (Also, its sparring partner did not have this issue.) The good news for some folks is that this indeed the closest to "Scotch" of any Westland I've had, though with the volume turned down. The 30-month-old cask 606 was sunshine compared to this. Was that due to the cask, or the malt varieties? Why not both. Meanwhile, I'd take the the distillery's silkier, nuttier American expression over this as well.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 77

Westland single malt, cask 745

Like Monday's Westland (cask 606), cask 745 was made with a five-malt mash bill and was matured in new American oak. But while #606 was aged for 30 months, #745 matured for 62 months (ancient!). Cask 606 was very good, even at that age. Could its youth have prevented the oak from intruding? Or could more be expected with 107%-longer maturation? Interestingly these two whiskies were barreled at nearly the same time...

Distillery: Westland
Region: Seattle, Washington
Age: 62 months
Mashbill: Five malted barley strains
Yeast: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast
Fermentation: 144 hours
Maturation: new American oak
Cask #: 745
Release: January 2019
Outturn: 200 bottles
Alcohol by volume: 56.2%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose is softer, but similar to 606. Mocha, Coca-cola and black sherry soda. Fresher ginger this time, and with a hint of mint leaf. Time in the glass gives it depth, awakening butterscotch and peach skins. The palate is really damned good. Tart cherries, ginger beer, lime and guava juices, grapefruits and lemons. A big herbal bitter bite and just a touch of mocha. The finish is toastier and smokier than the palate. Dark chocolate-covered nuts, fresh ginger and bitter herbs.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1⅓ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey
Now it noses like a fizzy plum soda, with notes of flower blossoms and smoked almonds in the background. A riot of tart citrus and herbal liqueur lights up the palate. Small notes of smoke, sugar and coffee. The finish matches the palate with a little more ginger.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I don't know how they fashion excellent, unique whiskey in five years, but here's yet another Westland gem. As mentioned in the notes, the palate is the real star and I really recommend you just keep this stuff neat. Sorta short on words here, my mind is blown.

One thing I will note: This is avant-garde whiskey. It's slightly insane and in a different dimension than both Kentucky bourbon and Speyside scotch. It's bitter and juicy and nutty and fizzy and herbal. I doubt this style can be scaled-up and broadly beloved, if that's what Remy Cointreau expected when buying the distillery. The good news is this whiskey was released (this year!) under Remy's ownership. May the Westland honey casks keep rolling.

Availability - probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 90

Westland single malt, cask 606

I'm closing out the year with six consecutive Westland single malt reviews. Not sure how exactly, but the posts will be posted. So prepare thyself.

Though I reviewed the regular range in October, it's the single cask medium wherein Westland shines brightest. I recently jumped in on six different bottle splits so I could survey the expanse of their uncut whiskies, then I tasted them in pairs in order to compare and contrast.

First up is cask 606 (release 58). It's a baby at only 30 months, made with their oft-used five barley mash bill: Washington Select Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt and Brown Malt. (See below for more details.) Like its sparring partner, which is being reviewed tomorrow, this whiskey spent its entire short life in new American oak.

Distillery: Westland
Region: Seattle, Washington
Age: 30 months
Mashbill: Five malted barley strains
Yeast: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast
Fermentation: 144 hours
Maturation: new American oak
Cask #: 606
Release: February 2016
Outturn: 218 bottles
Alcohol by volume: 57.8%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose begins with a light combination of white and citrus fruits, along with the chocolate-mocha note that often appears in their American Single Malt expression. Some mild notes of ginger powder and fruity cinnamon float about. With time the whiskey gains subtle band-aid and ocean/brine notes. Very little burn considering its strength and youth. The palate is very similar to the nose, with its mocha and ginger. It's also very toasty (oak and barley), and has highlights of grapefruit and bitter herbal liqueurs. Mocha makes up most of the long finish, along with toasted almonds, lemon juice and bitter herbs.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL of whiskey
Quite a shift in the nose. White chocolate, unsweetened breakfast cereal (toasted nuts and grains), guava juice, grass and brine. The palate has become simpler. Barley, ginger, a sweet creaminess and a tiny bit of bitterness. Mocha, ginger and bitter cocoa in the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is a burlier, bolder take on their American expression. Unless it's my imagination, the Pale Chocolate and Brown malts seize the main stage here, while something else has summoned a refreshing herbal bitterness. One begins to wonder, as one noses and sips this 2.5 year old thing, matured in the state of Washington, how it is so much more complex and complete than a scotch at 4x its age. Is it the brewer's yeast? Is it higher quality barley? It's not the new oak, as we shall see in the upcoming reviews.

Availability - probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85 (preferred neat)

Longrow 15 year old 2001 Refill Chardonnay Cask

Recently a whisky score of 87 upset someone, so I'm glad no one banned me from Campbeltown after I rated the new 18 and 21 year old Longrows merely very good. Now let's see what kind of damage I can do today.

Secret Agent Man and I thoroughly discussed today's whisky when it was released two years ago. I really wanted to buy a bottle, but The Party Source was slinging this 15yo for nearly $200. So I passed on it. Secret Agent Man did not, and he shared a sample of the whisky with me last month.

There was no quickie finish forced upon this whisky, instead it had a Cadenhead-esque double maturation, spending its last nine years in a refill chardonnay cask. I like the "refill" word and I'm intrigued by the "Chardonnay" part since Glen Moray's old 10yo Chardonnay Cask was surprisingly solid. Lemme see how this one turned out.

The data:

NEAT
The nose starts with roasted nuts in toffee, then Corn Nuts and bacon smoke. Hints of lemons and tangerines just beneath. The cask is much more present on the palate. In fact, it reads like a Sauternes cask. Floral, mineral and sweet. Midori and applesauce. Candy corn and fizzy ginger ale. The sweet and creamy finish holds ginger ale, oranges and roses.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1¼ teaspoons of water per 30mL whisky
Oranges, wood smoke and kiln ash on the nose. Then toasted oak, saline and anise. The palate does change much. Its fruit (nectarine) and floral (rose) notes seem to be coming from the wine. Still sweet, a little tangier and very little peat. The finish is also sweet and tangy, less floral, more peppery.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
That was one really active refill cask, or perhaps it was aggressively seasoned? The wine just rolled right over the spirit. I've never had a chardonnay as sweet as this, though I usually only drink French chardonnay.

*dodges thrown pans*

*ducks a thrown orange toupée*

*never leaves the house again*

Like I mentioned in the notes, this is really for Sauternes fans. And for people with sweeter teeth than mine. I like the whisky better once it's diluted as some Longrow character comes out in the nose, and the palate's fruit is less candied. I wonder what the whisky was like after six years in the wine cask, or one year really. There's a 17 year old chardonnay cask Longrow on the market now. That one terrifies me. Am I the only person interested in a 17 year old refill bourbon cask Longrow?

Availability - Secondary market, maybe?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 80 (with water)

Longrow 18 year old, 2019 edition

Monday's Longrow 21 had a pair of nifty sparring partners, including this year's edition of Longrow 18 year old. And, yes, I poured the review sample from my own bottle. I've had a chance to try a number of previous Longrow 18s, and while they each differ slightly one thing stays the same: the delicate peat.

Though Longrow's malted barley is peated to a burly measure of 50ppm, and one can certainly feel those phenolics in the young Peated and late CV (💘),  something seems to happen to that peat rather quickly once Longrow hits its early teens. It gets gentler, almost floral, often reading less peaty than Springbanks of the same age. Age truly mellows it out.

That was the case with this bottle during its first third. But it picked up steam after that. This review is from the bottle's midpoint.

Distillery: Springbank

Brand: Longrow
Region: Campbeltown

Age: minimum18 years

Maturation: 75% sherry casks, 25% bourbon casks
Batch: 2019

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? No
(from midpoint in my bottle)

NOTES
There's an old school Highland peat thing going on in the nose, which quickly met by seaweed and anise notes. Then guava and white peaches. Those fruit notes build with time, picking up some grapefruit along the way. The palate feels smokier, sharper and spicier than the nose during the first couple of simps. There's also cherry syrup, tart berries, fresh stone fruits and a hint of veg. It softens with time, but never gets too sweet. Citrus notes jump out later on. The smoke vanishes before the finish, tilting more towards salt and stones, savory seaweed. Then tart cherries and black peppercorns.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Though the good palate improves with time (just like the 21), the nose wins (just like the 21). The fruit notes are the highlights in both categories. I do enjoy drinking it, but the thing is, the whisky never gets beyond a comfy sipper phase. It really could use a little more peat and/or Campbeltown character to hoist it up to another level, or at least set it apart from other single malts. The 21yo gets the edge here because it has some of that complexity. Still, the 18 is less than half the price of the 21, so weigh that as you like. I'll have to return to this someday with at least one other L18 for comparison.

Availability - Many European specialty retailers
Pricing - £90-£110
Rating - 86

Longrow 21 year old, 2019 edition

It's Relevant Longrow Week! And (AND!) Wednesday's Longrow review is from a bottle I purchased. Yes, this is still Diving for Pearls.

First up, the new Longrow 21 year old. Springbank had been rolling out official 18 year old editions of its heavily-peated malt for more than a decade, so I'd been wondering when something older would come along. And here it is:

Bottled just two months ago, this 21yo is a mix of sherry and bourbon casks, with a emphasis on the former, like many of Springbank's non-single cask releases. Hopefully this is the start of a regular annual expression, and that they keep it near its current price.

Distillery: Springbank

Brand: Longrow
Region: Campbeltown

Age: 21 years (bottled 2 October 2019)

Maturation: 60% sherry casks, 40% bourbon casks
Outturn: 3,600 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? No
(from a bottle split)

NOTES
The nose starts off with dirty peat, dirty sherry cask and dried herbs. But that all calms down after 15 minutes or so. Then there's combination charcoal smoke and dusty kiln. Dried berries, a raspberry confection and key lime pie. Smaller notes of soil and wet dead leaves float in the background. The sherry reads much cleaner and fruitier in the palate. Longrow lemons join in. At first the peat, a little farmy and earthy, sits in the far back at first then expands, balancing well with the casks, with time. A lime note overtakes the lemon as well. More smoke in the finish than the palate. In early sips it reads bitter, then it becomes earthy later on. A mix of sweet and tart citrus and berries provides an additional dimension.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This one grew on me. The nose, in all its forms, always worked, but the palate was no more than just fine for a while, seeming more like a generic sherried Speyside. The emergence of limes and earthy smoke really lifted it up. Though the sherry casks bury the bourbon casks, the spirit finds its way through. While this is not a revolutionary whisky, it's a high quality beverage and it's priced lower than the Springbank 21yo. Seeing how just 60mL of it improved with time, I can imagine 700mL would provide a more extensive trip.

Availability - A few dozen European specialty retailers
Pricing - £190-£225
Rating - 88

Bladnoch 26 year old 1992 Cadenhead Authentic Collection

As I mentioned in the previous post, I never really understood Bladnoch's appeal. In fact, aside from Auchentoshan's kooky (or cookie?) indie single casks, there's nothing from current Lowland distilleries that appeals to my palate. Hell, Springbank's Hazelburn does Lowland better than the Lowlanders.

But that was before a recent tasting between this 26 year old Bladnoch and a 22yo from the 1970s. I tucked into the '77 Old Malt Cask whisky first and was immediately impressed. Could this more recent single cask compete?

Distillery: Bladnoch
Region: Lowlands
Ownership at time of distillation: either Bell & Sons or United Distillers
Independent Bottler: Cadenhead
Range: Authentic Collection
Age: 26 years (1992 - 2008)
Maturation: bourbon hogshead
Outturn: 246 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 49.3%
(Thank you to LV33 for the sample!!)

NOTES
The nose begins with apples, pears, saline and rope. 10 minutes later: fruity cinnamon, lime juice, barley grist and almonds. 10 minutes after that: lots of fragrant stone fruits skins. The palate is Barley City. Its inhabitants also include limes, citrons, minerals and hint of milk chocolate. Minimal sweetness. Slightly medicinal without being peaty. It finishes with lemons, limes, salt, barley and a little bit orange juice.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
It's romantically unromantic. A goldilocks malt. Well-matured with no woody interference, this Bladnoch brings the citrus and stones and barley and......then my glass is empty. But before I finished it, the whisky was great! (For those of you who demand a whisky's approval by a certain Frenchman, here it is.) It certainly stood up to the 1977 OMC Bladnoch. There's all of a one point difference in scores between them, which is meaningless because on another day I could think this the better Blad. I'm so happy to have discovered Bladnoch, a decade too late or not, though I'm unhappy that I've already found myself window shopping other single casks of this Lowlander.

Availability - At Cadenhead shops, maybe?
Pricing - €150ish
Rating - 89