Review #50 - Westland Peat Week 2019
Peated American Single Malt Mini-Series: Part 4 of 4
To wrap up the series, we're headed back to Westland Distillery, where we find a special release in the form of Peat Week from the year 2019. It's the fifth annual release of their Peat Week series, and this one is a combination of 5 casks, yielding a total outturn of 1,083 bottles.
Westland's website actually gives us a good amount of information about this bottling: it is made from Baird's Heavily Peated Distiller's Malt (from the UK), was matured between 3 years and a little over 5 years, and aged in the following barrels: two 1st fill ex-bourbon, one new American oak from Cooper's Reserve, and two refill American oak. It's still a little young, but we're hoping for a bit more complexity than the standard peated release from Westland.
Westland Peat Week 2019
USA - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 300 online, but not realistically available (2023)
Age Statement: 3 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; 1,083 bottles produced
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 40% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A big smack of peat, iodine, and salt on the front of the nose - this takes us straight to Islay, like a bit peaty single malt similar to Laphroaig or Ardbeg. Behind the peaty and medicinal notes, however, there is a lighter background, more like lemon and vanilla, even a hint of orange citrus. Lower in the glass, there is a little bit of barley or grain character as well.
Palate: The peat is strong on the palate like the nose - it tickles the cheeks and tongue. There is some nice sweet lemon at first, but we quickly go in the direction of barbecue, something like grilled poultry on over the fire with a decent pepper kick. It's a little bit buttery, and there is a lingering red pepper flake heat; overall, the mouthfeel is medium-thick.
Finish: Buttery and oily as it lingers into the finish, which is medium-long. Those lighter tones of lemon and vanilla creep back in, along with some orange rind, and the peat isn't too harsh now, it's just right. The oak influence here is soft, somewhat light and dry.
Final Note: This is pretty nice stuff, it's a shame the release was so limited, and is nearly impossible to find now. We were able to try this at a whisky bar, and it didn't disappoint; it has a lot of character for a malt as young as 3 to 5 years, and the bump in ABV compared to the standard Westland releases definitely helps bring more flavor. If you get a chance to try it, we highly recommend it; it's unlikely we'd get a chance to buy a bottle, but if we did, we would probably be willing to pay $100+ for it without too much deliberation, especially with the way prices are going for quality whisky these days.
Our Average Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.89
