Westland Debuts its New, 4th Edition Colere American Single Malt

Posted on by Scott Dilley

The Fourth Edition Highlights Fritz Barley Developed by Washington State University’s The Bread Lab.

The Colere series within the Outpost Range of limited release American Single Malt Whiskey represents Westland’s vision to showcase new varieties of barley bred outside the commodity system.

Fast Facts about Westland Colere Edition 4

  • Style: American Single Malt Whiskey
  • Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley (Skagit Valley Malting Fritz Malt)
  • Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
  • Age: 71 Months (Minimum)
  • Cask Types:
    • Refill Westland (95%)
      • 2nd Fill Cooper’s Reserve (Heavy Toast / Light Char) (47.5%)
      • 2nd Fill Cooper’s Select (Light Toast / Heavy Char) (47.5%)
    • 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon (5%)
  • Yeast Strain: Belgian Brewer’s Yeast
  • Fermentation Time: 96-144 Hours
  • Nose: Pear skin, dried apricot, light brown sugar, croissant, fresh tangerine.
  • Palate: Apple turnover, dried fruit mix, cocoa butter, jasmine green tea.
  • Price: $149.99
  • Availability: Limited to 3,084 bottles.

Full Details on Westland Colere:

SEATTLE, WA (May 21, 2024) – In its ongoing celebration of the ingredients that make single malt whiskey, Westland Whiskey introduces Colere Edition 4 American Single Malt Whiskey to the limited-edition Outpost Range series. Colere represents Westland’s vision to showcase new varieties of barley bred outside the commodity system.

The fourth edition of Colere was distilled from Fritz, a variety of barley derived from Washington State University’s The Bread Lab research center. The resulting whiskey provides a bouquet of fruit tones that transition to an herbaceous palate. Just 3,084 bottles of this annual expression will be available starting this month at select retailers across the U.S. and online at shop.westlanddistillery.com.

With Colere, Westland sets out to chart the direct impact of barley on flavor, leaving behind the well-trod territory of ubiquitous grains. Colere explores the thousands of new and forgotten varieties of barley whose flavor has yet to be considered, striving to capture the vibrancy and diversity of Pacific Northwest terroir in whiskey. Fritz is a genetic descendant of the crosses Apex/Alexis // Baroness/Cellar.

Westland Master Distiller Tyler Pederson

Developed by WSU by Steve Lyon, Steve Jones, et al. and released in 2016 after field trials revealed it out-yielded modern elite varieties like Copeland and AC Metcalf.

Colere Edition 4 begins with sweet swirl pastries and arcs towards a dry herbaceous palate, whereas Colere Edition 3 maintained a steadier state based upon bread and brightness.

Master Blender Shane Armstrong

Westland has partnered for years with WSU’s The Bread Lab, local maltsters, and local farmers to prioritize flavor and sustainable agricultural methods. In doing so, Westland presents a distinct approach to the relationship between single malt and agriculture. The central tenets by which Westland sources its grains—including transparency; health, wellness, and safety of employees; environmental impact; customer satisfaction; and relationships with local suppliers, among others—played a significant role in the Distillery achieving its prestigious B-Corp certification in 2024.

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.

About the Bread Lab

The WSU Bread Lab is a branch of WSU’s agricultural research center and makes its home in the WSU Mount Vernon Extension Campus. This research center is a place for specialized students, all PhD Candidates, to spend time developing grass seed varieties that work for the farmers and end users while accounting for climate chaos, as they call it. These grasses, often types of wheat, barley, or other cereal grains, are selected from existing varieties that are crossed and multiplied to create new strains with stronger or more desirable traits (ie, disease resistance, heat susceptibility, yield.) These populations are developed by the research students and available to any farmers who want to use them. Westland sponsored one of the students, Louie Prager, who researched different varieties of barley for brewing and distilling; he will finish his studies this upcoming year.

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