Westland Distillery has announced the 2018 edition of its annual Garryana single malt whiskey release.
This series expresses the terroir of Westland’s Pacific Northwest origins. A portion of Garryana ages in casks made from the rare Quercus garryana, a species of white oak that imparts a distinctive flavor profile to single malt whiskey.
With the Sept. 8 release of Garryana 2018, Edition 3|1, Westland “reveals how supply fluctuations can challenge the distilling team to evolve the series in new directions,” the company says.
Unlike the previous two editions, which married ratios of full-term matured Garry oak casks to traditional oak casks, the limited supply of Garry oak forced Master Distiller Matt Hofmann and Blender Shane Armstrong to employ a series of vattings and casks finishes for this year’s edition. The resulting whiskey features component whiskies that are each matured in a combination of casks. With a mash bill of 5-malt, Washington Select and heavily peated, the whiskey was aged in Garry oak, New American oak, 1st fill ex-bourbon, 1st fill ex-Port and refill ex-Westland casks.
“Each year, we must begin with assessing what is available to us, and then be open to following a path that the cask and the whiskies reveal,” explains Hofmann. “Because we cannot rely on a formula, we must be inventive in the ways we work with the supply in order to end up with a whiskey we are proud of.”
Garryana 2018, Edition 3|1 is 56% ABV. On the nose are notes of buckwheat honey, vanilla cream and milk chocolate with hints of wood smoke, raspberry reduction and nutmeg, the company says. On the palate are flavors of slightly savory rye bread, clove and floral notes balanced by the sweetness of Garry oak flavor.
Only 1,638 bottles of Garryana 3|1 will be available in limited distribution nationwide. The suggested retail price is $149.99 per 750-ml. bottle.
I would like to purchase a bottle to give to my son for Christmas.
It will be difficult to track down due to the limited supplies. Our recommendation is to contact your local spirits shops and ask if any of them plan on acquiring a bottle. If so, you can ask that they set one aside for you. Obviously if any of them already carry Westland, they may likely receive one of these. Good luck!