Whisky: Westward 5 Year, Lost Lantern for r/Bourbon

Country/Region: United States/Oregon

ABV: 64%

Cask: New American Oak (4Y), Adega Cabernet Port Cask (1Y)

Age: 5 Years (Bottled 2022)

Nose: Rich fruit, tobacco, malted milk candies, fruit leather, chocolate-covered berries, cinnamon sticks, orange peel.

Palate: Medium to full-bodied, juicy cherries, moon drop grapes, plums, apricots, herbal tobacco, cinnamon spice, molasses, chocolate malt candies, orange peel.

Finish: Medium-length and drying with plums, black cherries, and orange.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Brown Bear’s Movie Theater Snacks

Narrative & Notes: Rich and fragrant the aroma was loaded with musty tobacco, caramelized sugars, and fruit. Nougat and malted milk balls tipped their cap toward cinema snacks with fruit leather and Twizzlers before chocolate-covered blueberries, raspberries, and cherries took over. Lovely background of spice, potpourri almost, lingered behind the fruit and tobacco with notions of cinnamon sticks, orange peel, and rose hip. The palate was medium to full-bodied with a beautiful weight on the center of the tongue. A juicy romp of cherries, plums, moon drop grapes, and apricots exploded with tantalizing hints of tobacco and cinnamon in the background. A lingering note of molasses carried to the back with malted chocolate candies and orange peel. Spirited at times, water smoothed out the back end’s prickle and brought forward more tobacco and dry spice. The finish was medium-length and drying with ripe plums, black cherry, and orange.

Wow! Lost Lantern and the fine fellows at R/Bourbon selected an absolute beauty from Westward. It is no easy task to balance bold new oak and characterful malt. The port cask mediated between the two and helped this strike that careful, perhaps tenuous, balance of oak and malt. I particularly loved the tobacco and dry spice that ran throughout the whisky and provided a beautiful contrast to the juicy fruits. While the palate had some spirited prickle on the back end, a few drops of water quickly tamed any heat without compromising the mouthfeel or flavor profile.

Overall, an excellent and well-balanced single cask from Westward. More of this, please!

Image Credit: Seelbach’s