Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey...

Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey (45.0%): An older release from House Spirits Distillery soon to be renamed as Westward Distillery... It is a two year old whiskey distilled from 100% malted barley grown in Pacific Northwest. The bottle carries the batch number 12. It is from the time when they were still outsourcing their ale yeast fermented wash from local breweries.

Color: Proper amber color with full and thick fast moving legs around the glass. Oily liquid...

Nose: Dry hay, straws and clay... Cow barn, thin honey and dry malt. Cumin and cornflakes. Quite remarkable how yellow, dry and farmy the nose is... Dried vegetables and animal skin. 

Palate: Pine honey, oatmeal cookies and toasted cedar wood. Although it carries all the dry notes from the nose it is definitely sweeter and creamier on the palate. Cream soda, celery stalks and cinnamon. Dry fruit cake, rice pudding and nutmeg dusting.

Finish: Medium long and bitter first... Unsweetened chamomile tea and vanilla. It coats your mouth almost like a brown sugar syrup at the end and also gets oaky all of a sudden.

Overall: Well, considering how I like the current bottlings of Westward it is not a surprise that I enjoyed their predecessor as well. I have to admit that it sure was pricey for a two year old whiskey back then but if my notes drew your attention a little you definitely should seek and try to get one of the current full size bottlings especially the limited Pinot Noir finish if you are lucky enough to find one. I am definitely on the hunt for that bottle...

Price: $50 (375ml bottle)



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