Ratification Day - One Year Later

We wanted to pause today, on the American Single Malt Ratification Day, and acknowledge this as its own outpost, a distinct marker of the trail which we have traversed for the last fifteen years. Exactly one year ago, the US TTB acknowledged American Single Malt as its own official category and proceeded to take the final steps toward category ratification.

As makers and dreamers and connoisseurs of American Single Malt and whiskey as a whole, this was monumental for us at Westland. One that we lobbied for, one that we actively worked toward for over a decade.

From experimentation to exploration, we have always held closely the distinct vision of American Single Malt as an official category. There is a collection of words that closely describe the gusto in which we approached our vision. Ambition, confidence, curiosity, to name a few.

American Single Malt category ratification was just one puzzle piece in a much larger picture. It is a huge milestone but not our end-all. Ratification was something we aspired to, along with many other aspirations. We dreamed of reimagining each of our raw ingredients, throwing aside how things had been done in the past.

We tested and tried and our flavor obsession brought us to our five-malt mash bill. But there was more, we dreamed of reimagining malted barley, asking farmers if there were new species of barley to use other than the typical commodity varieties. Then, Colere was born. We did the same with peat, recognizing there’s no shortage of peat bogs in the upper west. We set out, and eventually created Solum, the first US peated whiskey distilled from regional domestic peat.

One of our very first experiments became our most beloved over the years: Garryana. We filled some garryana oak casks in our first year of operating as a distillery, with no expectation of what it would taste like. Fast forward to over ten different expressions over the years, and this whiskey has taken on a life of its own. There is an unmistakable spice tone and tannic structure unlike anything else we have seen. The whiskey has become our most sought after, acclaimed, and beloved.

These expressions, and ultimately each cask we fill, take us one step forward. Our brand now has evolved into several different shapes over the years, and we still have much to explore. There is a multitude of flavors to uncover within our Pacific Northwest terroir.

In whiskey, there is still much to discover. So, we set out and continue to fill each cask, one at a time.

We can wax poetic about whiskey, the different flavors and expressions we have explored or the award-winning whiskeys that we have bottled. But beyond the amber liquid we surround ourselves with, we have become inspired countless times by the people who make it all possible. Farmers, distillers, creative directors, bartenders, financial professionals, grain breeders, vintners, brewers, outdoor volunteers, and more. The collaboration of so many separate individuals is no small thing; and we consider each new project, each grain harvest, each question answered, each flavor uncovered a gift.

Thank you to all our customers who have been on the journey with us, both long-time Westland fans and new acquaintances of ours. To any who have shared a dram of Westland with a loved one or used our whiskey in your favorite cocktail. You are the reason we have been able to make whiskey for this long and optimistically look ahead to the bright future of our business. You are the reason we could pursue our audacious vision to see American Single Malt become recognized. So, on this Ratification Day, December 18th, we wanted to pause and say thank you for your support of our vision, to make whiskey that truly represents this time and place. And onward we go; ever forward.