Westland 7 Year (2013) Cask 3788 for r/Bourbon
Whisky: Westland 7 Year (2013) Cask 3788 for r/Bourbon
Country/Region: United States/Washington
ABV: 51.6%
Cask: New Oak, Port Wine Finish (5Y 6 mo.)
Age: 8 Years (Distilled 30 July 2013, Bottled April 2022)
Nose: Rich stewed plums and caramel apples with hints of bubble gum and all manner of summer fair’s midway delights: cotton candy, chocolate and caramel, or fried Snickers? Fried Fig Newtons, perhaps, as rich dates and figs met with cinnamon and a touch of dried grass.
Palate: Full-bodied and rich, sweet and sugary, cotton candy and caramel apples, stewed fruits in a buttery crust, hints of peach cobbler, vanilla extract, cherry pie; hints of bubble gum besides bolder notions of licorice, fruit punch, and hard candies.
Finish: Medium-length and drying with fruit punch, cotton candy, and oak.
Score: 5-6 (76)
Mental Image: Sugar High on the Ferris Wheel
Narrative & Notes: If the notes sound good, then maybe ignore the score— or round it up a few notches. I found this overly sweet and saccharine, as if someone had melted some fruity hard candies or a fruit punch Tootsie roll in my glass. The big, bold, and in-your-face fruits and fruity candies— cotton candy and bubble gum— distracted from the woody nature of the whisky. It was only on the finish that the underlying tannic nature stood out in a more obvious way, which is a roundabout way of saying the mouthfeel was well-composed and balanced.
Overall, too much of a sugar high for my taste; the port cask carried this to the point where I found it a bit cloying. Bubble gum notes are also not a personal favorite, but if they are yours, then this whisky has more to recommend itself. Much as with casks 3788 and 6059, while this was labeled as seven years old, it was actually closer to nine.
Image Credit: Ryeamlegend; check out his site at the link. (Once he posts his review, I will also add that!)
