Westland Distillery: AMERICAN OAK

Using our five‐malt spirit to complement the vibrant sherry influence of the casks we create a whiskey that is decadent but still gives the barley an equal voice.

In Edition 6, Garry Oak co-mingles with both Brandy and Sherry casks. The Brandy gives a bright filter to the savory spice of Garry Oak while the Pedro Ximénez sherry brings classic darker fruits with muted sweetness.

Unlike traditional peated whiskies which use 100% peated malt, we balance the smoke with rich barley character by introducing non‐peated malts. While many peated whiskies follow the very traditional model of 100% peated malt to displaying a raw and heavy smoke character, we work to build on this tradition with new world sensibilities. We introduce non‐peated malts, most of which are grown locally in Washington State, in a ratio that actually outweighs the peated malt. The addition of our innovative five‐malt spirit in each bottling brings a balance of malty notes to the peat that reflects local creative culture.

The second edition of Colere continues our exploration of new varieties of barley, bred outside the commodity system with flavour first in mind (not just yield). Colere Edition 2 is a limited annual bottling made with Talisman, a 2-row winter variety descended from the irrepressible Marris Otter and matured in only used casks to relegate the oak influence to a supporting role and focus the attention on the grain itself.

Edition 5 has a higher percentage of Garry Oak casks in the blend than any previous edition. Combining pale malt spirit with only peated spirit, it is also the simplest in construction.