Westland/Bruichladdich Tasting Review Part 1: Westland
Background
Look I write reviews from Jack Rose in DC a lot, that’s no secret. And while some of the most hyped tastings involve the releases of their Willett picks (review of their new Willett rye in the works!), my favorites tend to be the occasional marketing budget bomb that rolls into town. You show up, realize there’s an unusual amount of swag, and settle in for some passed hors d'oeuvres and hopefully some decent pours.
This particular tasting was put on by Westland and Bruichladdich, both of which are owned by Rémy Cointreau, and hosted by National Brand Ambassador Jason Cousins. This part will cover the Westland offerings, and part two will go up on r/scotch on Wednesday! I haven’t covered Westland since my visit out there almost a year ago, so I’m excited to revisit the brand.
Westland Flagship American Single Malt (3 Years, 96 Proof)
Nose: Three musketeers bars. Really nougaty and chocolatey. It’s smells roasted, and a bit nutty. Rich aromas draw you in. It’s quite a compelling nose.
Palate: Espresso, and a whole bunch of roasted nut notes. It’s reminiscent of almost a brown ale. There’s a fair amount of dark chocolate as well as some sticky toffee pudding.
Finish: That same, lightly dry, dark chocolate note from the palate is the most prominent export. It has these kisses of sherry influence from the sherry casks included in the blend.
Very Good (6/10)
Overall: I think one of my favorite flagship offerings in whiskey, period? People tend to look at my scores and assume 6 is mid, or a disappointment, but really I try my best to go by the letter of the scale and use all 10 points. To get your baseline, $60, off-the-shelf offering to market at this quality is no small feat. I have enjoyed literally every sip I’ve had of Westland to date, and that starts with their entry level whiskey.
Westland Solum - Edition 2 (4 Years, 100 Proof)
Nose: Grilled pineapple, smores, whisks of toasty smoke but very delicate. It’s a bit of a shape shifter, morphing from these lightly toasted notes I associate more with the flagship into something a bit fruiter and lighter.
Palate: A little waxy! Waxy apples, croissants, toasted rye bread, lemon peels. It’s a nice bouquet of flavors, running the gamut from baked goods to bits of fruit. Let’s just settle on fruitcake as a note.
Finish: That wax really hangs around, medicinal herbal, vanilla and sugar cookies. A bit of pipe tobacco as well, though a lighter incarnation. I dunno I’m not much of a smoker but it’s a delicate tobacco note is all I’m saying.
Very Good to Great (6.5/10)
Overall: I wrote in my tasting notebook “a bit like Highland Park”, only to then revisit my review of Solum 1st Edition and find I said the exact same thing. So yeah, I stand by it! It has a light, heathery peat that makes it quite approachable. It’s a bit all over the place, but never overwhelmingly discordant. While this line is not my favorite of favorites (hi, Garryana), it’s proven to be rock solid over the first two editions.
For those who are a little scotch curious, stay tuned for part two over on r/scotch covering four different Bruichladdich offerings!
