Whisky : Westland Garryana 2019 Edition 4.1

Country/Region : US/Washington

ABV : 50%

Cask : Ex-Rye (29%), Ex-Bourbon (29%), First Fill Garryana Oak (19%), Pedro Ximénez Hogshead (16%), Refill Garryana Oak (7%)

Age : 3-6 Years (44-75 mo.)

Nose : Rich layers of figgy pudding and creamy pear custard.  Crisp apples and pears tumble out with dry cocoa powder and creamy butter.  It is a pie, a tart, a pudding— a lightly salted crust absolutely brimming with fruit and velvety custard.  At times the creamy sweetness reminds me of a rice pudding with pickled ginger steam.  Toward the end more candied notes begin to appear: grape flavored pop rocks or soft cotton candy.

Palate :  Medium bodied with a lovely waxy character.  Tingling mulled wine spices hit the sides of the tongue before concentrated fruity notes take over.  Poached pears, apples, or even a bit of bright tropical dragon fruit are joined by sour cherries and the bitter acidity of green coffee beans.  The pie notes from the nose are gone replaced by a fruitcake jam packed with alcohol soaked dried fruits or maybe a spongy carrot cake.

Finish : Medium length cream and baking spices which are accompanied by a salty astringency that lingers pleasantly a bit longer.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Champagne poached pear custard pie.

Something Better : Westland Garryana 2018 (more savory, better body, deeper finish)

Something Similar : Westland Cask #2479 K&L Selection (similar poached fruits, more intense sherry influence, less complex body)

Something Worse : Cragganmore 16 Year SMWS 37.119 (similar mulled wine & poached fruits, intensely sweeter, more berries)

Notes :  Another beautiful bottle from Seattle’s Westland distillery.  I love the different casks they married together in this edition of the Garryana Oak series.  The rye casks impart a subtle spice that complements that natural bouquet of Christmas flavors brought by the sherry.  The Garry oak influence is apparent as it highlights some of the cocoa and slightly savory notes that otherwise play a mostly background role in the flavor profile.

Does this bottle represent the dueling influence of Ex-Sherry and Garryana Oak Casks?  I am not sure.  While the sherry influence is apparent in some of the fruity notes it does not really stand out as a dominant flavor.  This edition does not feel as if it were the celebration of sherry and garry’s marriage.  It is maybe just too balanced against the addition of ex-bourbon and ex-rye casks.  It is less a marriage of two than it is a double date.

It is this second couple, the ex-American whisky barrels that play a dominant role in mediating the profiles of the others.  Since ex-bourbon/rye casks make up effectively 50% of the wood in which the spirit matured— does this vatting really represent the dueling flavor influence of garryana and sherry casks or does it represent the influence of ex-rye and bourbon?  Perhaps the real question answered with this release is whether or not Garryana can play a supporting rather than starring role in the overall cask influence profile of the single malt.

I enjoyed this bottle.  No matter what it was intended to be, no matter what it actually is, I found a lot to love in it anyway.  So why does it get a C when I gave last year’s 2018 edition a B+?  Frankly, it is just less to my taste.  It does not have the same oily body or savory notes to balance against some of its sweeter inclinations.  Anyone who scans through my reviews will note a lot of my higher scores have been for peatier, eathier drams.  My score is my opinion and it is in no way objective— I think the enjoyment of whisky is highly subjective.

I believe the people who will find the most to love here are those who enjoy a sherried dram— or want to explore a complex American single malt that sits more on the sweeter end of the spectrum without going head over heels into Candyland.  A solid entry into the Garry Oak range— and I am excited to see what comes next.

Picture at the top is not my own; source is Westland’s Facebook account. A great account to follow in order to stay abreast the happenings in Seattle and the beating heart of the American Single Malt scene.