Westland Peat Week 2017

This smells like tart peat. Tasting it, it is surprisingly mild. It compares well to the Amrut Fusion, but has less fruitiness and less balance. I'd say that the flavors here for together less well, bit they are individually quite good. The peat and smoke are quite nice and the spiciness and bit of rye tartness that come in are fitting. There's some caramel and cotton candy sweetness here, the latter of which alludes to fruit and floral elements, as well as a lot of that classic vanilla. It's definitely kind of spicy but some maple sweetness does come through too. It's kind of punchy but in a mostly nice way. The marriage is fine but could use some improvement. This is extremely sippable but could be a little better. This is above average all around with a few notes that stand out, making it a nice success. I would happily sip this on most occasions. The mic of sweet and peat works surprisingly well. The regular Peated is milder but also less fruity. I guess the regular is just kind of more generic and young. I like the added smoke in the regular Westland Peated but it could use some more complexity and oomph. This has more punch from its peat and cherry than the regular Westland Peated does. The balance here could use some work, but it's sweet and tasty. This is quite solid, but the lack of coherence really holds it back. Sadly, I think that even with its added complexity it fails to surpass the regular Westland Peated. The spice, sweet, cherry, and peat are nice, but they sort of have that Laphroaig 10 character of being aggressive but not coming together terribly well. This is still a very good drink, but it isn't a tremendous success.

I have loved the other two Westlands that I've tasted, and I've been astonished by how good they are after just a few years of maturation. This whiskey is part of the west coast distillery's limited annual run of peated whiskies, in imitation of the smoky scotches of Islay. It's $100 for a 3-5-year old whiskey, but that's the market nowadays. This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it drams. It's unlike anything that I've had before, and I kind of dig it. But the smell alone will put a lot of people off, as it smells a little . . . rotten. Not rotten, exactly, but like an overripe banana left out by a barbecue grill. The taste is exactly like that, with strange flavors lacing through different sips: lychee or apricot, trail mix, banana, and rubbery peat. It's tannic and has a dry mouthfeel. Same themes on the swallow, with burnt tires, sour fruit, and overripe banana. It's also long as hell.

Another sample courtesy of the distillery tour. Apparently one week every year, the distillery in Seattle holds a big festive party, and this bottle is made in commemoration. Their normal peated version is actually mixed with peated malt and unpeated. But this one is fully all peated malt. Side by side with the peated version, this fully peated one is definitely more complex and smokier. Personnaly I still think their Garryana is by far the best, but this comes in second. Strong smoke, followed by your typical Islay style medicinal qualities. This is apparently made using Scottish Islay Peat,but they are working on a Washington state peated one, which should be out in 3 years.

I had a generous sample of this tonight at an American single malt event in New York. There’s light smoke on the nose and flavors of cured meat in the mouth. The finish is sweet, and extended by a drop of water. Perfectly fine but still not an answer to the existential question of why anyone would pay $90+ for American malt. Hopefully we’ll resolve that before the industry implodes, as there’s no doubting the sincerity of the distillers.

Very good lots of vanilla, chocolate, coconut, smoke. Nose: Vanilla, Coconut, Smoke, Iodine, Caramel, Figs, Tootsie Rolls, Mocha, Cherry Cola, Green Fea, Peanut Butter Cups Palate: Smoke, Cherries, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Tar, Iodine, Cherry Cola, Toasted Marshmallows Finish: Dark Chocolate, Brandied Cherries, Mocha, Cherry Cola, Strawberries

Great peat. it is for sure the star of the show on top of a stage of great whiskey.