Whisky : Westland 6 Year Holy Mountain Cask Exchange

Country/Region : United States/Washington

ABV : 50%

Cask : New American Oak (38 mo.), American Strong Beer Cask (35 mo.)

Age : 6 Year (Distilled Nov. 2014, Bottled Dec. 2020)

Nose : Fruit, spice, and malty sweetness.  Apricots, plums, and cherries led to malty scones and sweet morning buns with berries and dates.  Spice and roasty notes gave the impression of cafe lattes with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Coffee machine instant mocha and slightly woody sour cherry pits.

Palate : Medium body and very malty with ginger spice, pastries, and earth.  Sweet bran and fruit brought to mind Raisin Bran cereal, bran muffins, and malty biscuits.  Earthy ginger along with chopped walnuts, brown sugar, and toasted hotteok— Korean stuffed pancakes.  Dark malt carried through to the end with honey, melba toast, and cracked black pepper Triscuits.

Finish : Lingering malty and herbal notes.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Tire Change Meditation

Notes : The instant coffee and pastry notes reminded me strongly of the waiting area of the auto repair shop I take my car for maintenance.  I really do not mind hanging out there— the instant coffee is free, the bathrooms are clean, the wifi is workable, and the pastries are sometimes available.  It is actually a good place to get some good focused work done as long as the Judge Judy is kept to a manageable volume.

This was quite the malt bomb and the American Strong Beer cask from Holy Mountain Brewing Co. really left a mark on this whisky.  This verged on earthiness at times with a restrained sweetness that allowed some of the chewy pastries and the sweetness of grain to shine.  I found this an absolutely fascinating dram that felt nicely balanced between oak and malt.

Overall, I cannot say beer finishes are my favorite thing on a single malt— though stouts have tickled my fancy more than others— but this was all right.  I thought this was an alluring variation on the normal Westland single malt and I found it pleasantly balanced after six years in the cask, no small matter considering how quickly American Single Malts take on wood influence.