Westland Sherry Wood Single Malt

About the Westland Sherry Wood Single Malt

Westland Sherry Wood Single Malt is an American single malt whisky from the United States. It comes from a Seattle distillery that uses barley grown across Washington State. The spirit matures in casks that once held Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry. Those casks come from Tonelería del Sur in Spain. Bottled at 46%, it arrives with no colouring and no chill filtering. That leaves a full texture and the sweet, fruity character sherry wood draws out of malt. Matt Hofmann and Emerson Lamb founded the distillery in Seattle in 2010. They built it around Washington barley and a brewing approach borrowed from beer. Fermentation runs 144 hours with a Belgian brewer's yeast, six full days before distillation. Two copper pot stills then take the wash. Much of the fruity, floral character is born in that long ferment, before any cask is involved. The wood only has to build on what is already there. Honey runs right through it, from the first sniff to the last swallow. Behind that sits oatmeal, maple syrup and a floral note that keeps things light. The palate is sweet and clearly fruity, with pear, ripe banana and something almost tropical. A biscuit-like malt base stops the sherry from taking over completely. The finish is short and gentle, herbal and fresh rather than drying or hot. Most of the range leans on new American oak alongside ex-bourbon casks. Westland Sherry Wood Single Malt takes a different route and gives the spirit to sherry wood alone. That swap pulls the whisky toward dried fruit and a deeper, sweeter core. The specialty malts still show through as bread and biscuit underneath. It is the bottling to reach for if you want Washington barley speaking with a Spanish accent.