Westland Distillery continues their innovation within the American Single Malt Whiskey space. This time, they’ve announced the release of Solum Edition 1 which is the first nationally available single malt whiskey to featuring American peated malt. The peat was sustainably sourced from Washington’s Skagit Valley and allowed Westland to leverage peat smoked barley from Skagit Valley Malting. This unique malt is sure to impart flavors that enhance and showcase Westland’s acumen for distilling American Single Malt Whiskey. We cannot wait to try this whiskey and if you are curious about Westland, be sure to check out Bourbon Lens Episode 203 with Co-Founder Matt Hofmann.
SEATTLE, March 8, 2023 – Marking the official launch of the third and final expression in their Outpost Range, Westland Distillery has announced the release of Solum Edition 1 American Single Malt Whiskey (50%ABV, 700ml, $149.99 SRP). This limited annual bottling is the first nationally available single malt whiskey to showcase American peated malt, sourced from Washington’s Skagit Valley.
In its mission to showcase “a sense of place,” Westland Distillery’s Solum Edition 1 completes the Outpost Range story of oak (Garryana), barley (Colere) and peat (Solum) unique to its Pacific Northwest homeland. With its unique and location-specific botanical mix, this Pacific Northwest peat imparts a distinct flavor profile to the resulting whiskey.
The peat of the Pacific Northwest has a completely different organic makeup than that of Scotland, resulting in a totally different flavor profile. Botanicals like Labrador Tea, an aromatic shrub, bring unique qualities to our regional peat.
Westland Co-Founder Matt Hofmann
Harvested from a bog approximately two hours south of Seattle, Westland departed from traditional methods of peat harvest, retrieving it from below the bog’s waterline rather than first draining and excavating the bog. This harvesting process was specifically designed to not disrupt the bog’s ecosystem, preventing the release of greenhouse gasses and ensuring that the bog will be able to continue producing peat into the future – a testament to Westland’s devotion to sustainability.
The act of harvesting and smoking its own barley also required collaboration with longtime partner Skagit Valley Malting, which developed the technology to achieve the desired results.
Westland Distillery Solum Edition 1 Tasting Notes
(50% ABV, 700ml, $149.99 SRP; 4,044 bottles released globally)
NOSE: This peated whisky showcases bright notes such as fresh fuji apple, ground cinnamon, charred wood, and strawberry rhubarb crisp. There’s a savory smoke note that teases the nose.
PALATE: On the palate there are complex herbal tones such as burned sage, vanilla chamomile tea, and grain notes of coffee cake, pumpernickel toast.
GRAIN BILL: Skagit Valley Malting Peated Malt
CASK TYPES: Cooper’s Reserve New American Oak, Cooper’s Select New American Oak, First Fill ex-Bourbon
YEAST: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast
FERMENTATION TIME: 96-144 Hours
The Outpost Range, which was first introduced in August 2020, features three limited-edition expressions that are released annually — Garryana, Colere, and Solum American Single Malt Whiskeys – each one emblematic of the Seattle distiller’s core mission to push beyond the old-world conventions of single malt. Garryana celebrated its seventh edition in February with 6,900 bottles, and the second edition of Colere was released in May 2022 with 3,000 prized bottles.
For information about Westland, please visit www.westlanddistillery.com. High-resolution images and limited-quantity samples are available upon request.
About Westland Distillery
Founded in 2010 and acquired by Remy-Cointreau in 2017, Seattle’s Westland Distillery brings a new and uniquely American voice to the world of single malt whiskey by exploring possibilities that have been ignored for generations. Along the way, Westland has been recognized as the country’s leading producer of American Single Malt Whiskey and founded the formal establishment of the emerging American Single Malt Whiskey category by starting the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission. While the distillery uses the same basic ingredients and processes used for centuries by traditional Old World single malt producers, it does not simply seek to replicate the results of its Scottish predecessors. Instead, Westland works to create whiskeys that reflect the distinct qualities of its time, place, and culture in the Pacific Northwest. All of Westland’s expressions are distilled at the Seattle distillery from 100% malted barley and fermented with a unique Belgian Saison brewer’s yeast before maturing in one of a variety of cask types, including new American oak, ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry, and Garry Oak, to name a few.
