Whisky: Westland 6 Year (2015) Cask 2423 for r/Bourbon

Country/Region: United States/Washington

ABV: 70.37%

Cask: Red Wine Cask

Age: 6 Year (Distilled 28 Jan. 2015, Bottled 22 Feb. 2021)

Nose: Fruit, chocolate, and marshmallows. Hints of earth submerged behind big red fruits, red vines, strawberry licorice, and chocolate-covered berries. Varnished wood, cedar, and dried grass brought to mind a prairie hunting lodge with cherry cordials, fudge, and toasted marshmallow yams. A few drops of water heightened the cherry and chocolate cordials with cinnamon, marshmallow, and a hint of double mint gum.

Palate: Medium-bodied and drying with a building mellow tannic astringency and notes of fruit and chocolate. A mild earthiness with cinnamon, cocoa powder, red dirt, and hints of peppermint. Spirited, obviously, the dram was a tad hot, and cried out for water to calm down. A few drops smoothed out the heat and directed attention toward syrupy fruits, peppercorns, cinnamon candies, and caramel. 

Finish: Dry and lingering with a puckering astringency and notes of fruit and chocolate.

Score : 4

Mental Image : Hazmat Suits and Uranium Rods

Notes: Bottled at a hazmat strength 70.37% abv., it was evident from the get-go that this needed a few drops of water to access the different layers of flavor layers and escape the overwhelming influence of the alcohol and woody tannins. Yet, even without water, there was a lovely interplay between fruit, chocolate, and spice— all notes you might expect to find in a red wine matured single malt. I thought the peppermint near the end was particularly unusual and reminded me of Double Mint gum.

A few drops of water smoothed the dram out but seemed to take away some of the complexity. That left me in a bit of a bind, this was way too hot to drink at cask strength, but the addition of water appeared to wash out my favorite aspects. The only solution was to play around and figure out how much water was needed to cool the fire without losing some of the more special flavor notes. I have not yet found a balance I like, but I decided the mouthfeel was best with a pretty heavy-handed tablespoon of water added. Perhaps blasphemous to some, I could not help but feel like this would be best in a cocktail.

Overall, an intriguingly flammable single cask Westland bottled for r/bouron– the trilogy's conclusion. While this was quite tasty, I thought it was the weakest of the three. I am not a massive fan of red wine casks, and this felt the least balanced.

Image Credit: West Spirits