There are two notable distinctions that Seattle’s Westland Distillery makes with their Peated American Single Malt Whiskey. The first is that it is single malt, which simply means that the whiskey is made at a singular distillery—at Westland’s 13,000 square foot waterfront production facility, single malt is all they do. It is a common miscalculation that single malt equals one batch or one barrel selection—”one” is in reference to the solo distillery producing the spirit. It is still often a mash blend (whiskeys, bourbons, Scotches, etc. are blends regardless) and with this Peated American Single Malt Whiskey, it is a blend of 100 percent Washington Select pale malt and smokey peated malt. The second variance in this bottling is just that—the use of peated malts. Often reserved for the whiskys of Scotland, peated American whiskeys are newfangled and welcomed by Northwest Scotch drinkers and smoke-driven cocktail crafters with open arms. The spirit is also matured in former bourbon and sherry barrels to introduce spice and nuttiness. Indisputably smokey and not for the faint-hearted, this earthy, mossy and smokey whiskey is sweetened with aromas of vanilla, almond, grainy malts and fruitiness for a full round of rarefied local booze. For the next step up, try the limited edition First Peated—only 700 bottles available.
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