This was another single cask Westland from the herd of private casks released to retailers in 2022, and this was among the subset that had interesting wine finishes. In this case, pajarete, which is a dessert wine once used for the seasoning of casks for scotch whisky— though people often romanticize the use of “transport casks” in whisky maturation, quite often they are thinking about old Paxarette casks.

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Whisky: Westland 7 Year Cask 7617 for Davidson’s Liquors

Country/Region: United States/Washington

ABV: 52.1%

Cask: Pajarete Cask

Age: 7 Years (Bottled 2022)

Notes: Concentrated jammy fruits and dark chocolate— the aroma was a box of chocolates with strawberry, cherry, and blackberry fillings in dark chocolate, caramel, and nougat. More cinnamon tea and black pepper lingered further in with hints of rose water and freshly stained wood. Medium-bodied with a tannic heft, the flavor profile began with wood: waxed hardwood floors and lacquered antiques provided a woodsy spice nova of cinnamon, vanilla, and black pepper. Plenty of caramel and nougat arrived next with chocolate bonbons, chocolate covered bananas, and some sweet praline— you might need to see a dentist after a sugary rush like this. Slightly bitter near the end, like over-steep tea or over-cooked sugars with more cinnamon sticks, hints of ginger, and leather. The finish was long and drying with woodsy tannins, caramel, black pepper, and cinnamon sticks.

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Score: 5-6 (75)

Mental Image: Sherry Bombardier Licensing Exam

Conclusion: All told, this was a fairly basic sherry bomb with a sweetness that reminded me of a sticky PX maturation. I assume this may have spent some time in new oak before the pajarete cask finish based on the flavor profile and tannic nature of the malt— also the fact that most of these 2022 single cask 7 Year Westland seem to have started in new oak (or at least the six for which I was able to get complete information all followed that same path). The whisky was fine, the spirit well-integrated, but the overall profile unbalanced— that may not be a problem for sherry fiends looking for massive stewed fruits and baking spice explosions, but not my jam.