Whisky : Westland 7 Year Cask 438, Peat Week 2021

Country/Region : US/Washington

ABV : 61.4%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon (Buffalo Trace)

Age : 7 Years (89 months)

Nose : Fruity, candied, and herbal.  Big sweet notes of apples, pears, bananas, and Skittles.  Candy sugar rush as with fruity hard candies and banana soft serve ice cream.  With more time; herbal notes of menthol, thyme, rosemary, and sage.  Slight citrus and caramel of roasted lemons, fennel root, and taro.

Palate :  Full-bodied and thick and with big sweet notes of fruit and more subtle impressions of charred herbs and campfire.  Fruity notes of banana and pear candies, apple custard, and banana soft serve.  As those faded an herbal undercurrent of thyme, mint, sage, and rosemary emerged.  Charred lemons and licorice fennel root came to mind as wispy campfire smoke appeared.  At the end were notes of lavender candies with a mellow astringency and pepper.

Finish :  Lingering candied fruits and florals, faint bit of cream.

Score : 3

Mental Image : Halloween Grab-Bag

Notes :  This Westland was weird and not altogether pleasant. I am shocked how little I enjoyed the 2021 Peat Week releases. The two I reviewed had this odd artificial fruitiness, especially bananas, that I did not enjoy. They were very different from previous editions, which captured more familiar flavor profiles of sea and earth. I love experimentation, particularly when I am only bumming a sample off a friend or buying a small format bottle. This dram was unique and fun to try, but I do not see myself ever craving a return to this profile. There are too many other great whiskies, American single malts, and Westland special editions. Of course, that is all part of the fun, there is always something new at every turn, and one moment’s disappointment is followed by another’s surprise and delight.

I will continue tracking Westland as best I can from beyond the state of Washington. Their special releases do not usually make it that far, but the power of the internet and whiskey friends helps bridge the gap sometimes.  

Overall, while I typically adore Westland and some of the prior Peat Week’s, this one was one I will probably forget.