Exploring Westland with Friends: A Father’s Day Weekend with Elliott Clark

This year, we wanted to take an extra moment for the Father’s Day holiday and welcome special guest Elliott Clark to get a behind the scenes look into the Westland story. Elliott Clark, known in the drinks world as Apartment Bartender, joined us in Seattle for an immersive journey through American Single Malt whiskey, the Pacific Northwest, and the friends who make every pour more meaningful.

Elliott has years of experience as a drinks professional, beverage author, and cocktail expert, and as a result has traveled the world to visit with different distillers and producers. Despite his breadth of experiences with different brands, he had several noticeable takeaways on seeing how Westland uses place to create a unique range of whiskeys. We asked Elliott what made this trip stand out.

From the moment they stepped inside our SoDo distillery, Elliott and his group were surrounded by the sights, smells, and sounds of our whiskey production: the mash of barley creating a welcoming grain aroma, copper stills gleaming in the afternoon light, and casks lined like a library of flavor. But the story of Westland goes far beyond the walls of our distillery. So, we invited the group for a drive to the Skagit Valley. This is where our casks age, where the farmers who have become essential partners in our story grow their crops each season, and for us, the heart of Pacific Northwest provenance. Elliott shared his impression about our sense of place.

As we walked Elliott through our process and showed him the Pacific Northwest landscape, he was able to see our direct connection with American Single Malt. This newly formed category, Elliott discovered, is still finding its voice, which opens the door to new possibilities. We asked what he thinks of this new category:

Elliott saw for himself just how much nuance lies in something as seemingly simple as barley. It is no small thing to shake the hand of the farmer who grows the grain in the final product. Westland has taken the position to own our supply chain, and to know our famers directly because we believe it makes great whiskey, but furthermore, also has a positive impact on our planet and stakeholders. We asked Elliott about his observation of our whiskey-making process and the inspiration we draw from the Pacific Northwest.

One last thing we needed to ask Elliott about was his favorite expression in the whiskeys we tasted together. We love to really dive in and geek out about the details, but at the end of the day, we’re in the business of providing enjoyment. So, Elliott shared:

In the end, that’s the heart of what we do at Westland: make a whiskey that reflects this place, this community, and the joy of sharing it. Father’s Day or any day, its a good reason to gather.