It’s a big in the K&L spirits department as we’ve just received our annual allocation of what is by far America’s best and most coveted single malt release: the Westland Garryana, made with whisky aged in Oregon Garryana oak barrels for a robust and unique flavor. I was a huge fan of the initial release last year and I’m just as enthused with this year’s release. But I think distiller Matt Hofmann’s words below summarize the creativity of this project better than I can:

We’re compelled to look out so we might see possibilities others don’t recognize. But seeing opportunity is not enough. You have to have the wherewithal to do something about it. During the trip, we explored one of the few remaining natural Garry Oak savannas in the Pacific Northwest. It was coated with lush mosses draping the otherwise bare limbs in the middle of winter. The oaks provided a juxtaposition of a life frozen in time and a world moving steadily forward. Again, we removed ourselves from the moment, wondering in amazement at our place in the world of whiskey, exploring physically at the edge of the earth and figuratively at the cutting edge of single malt philosophy. We, like our whiskies, are products of our time and place. While we look forward to the future we’re building with our new partners in this industry we cannot deny that what we live for now in the present is the exploration, the journey. This latest edition is another step forward along a path that winds all across the Pacific Northwest in search of insight.

I got the pleasure of dining with Matt this past Monday and talking in depth about not only the Garryana project, but also the future of whiskymaking for the distillery. These guys are just on another level, and now that they’ve partnered with Bruichladdich under the Remy umbrella, I think the sky is the limit. For those interested in great whisky, I’d compel you to exercise our one bottle allocation for the 2017 Garryana. For those who are fascinated by terroir in whisky and unique expressions of our American continent, then this is a must buy:

Westland “Garryana 2.1” Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($139.99) – The second release of Garryana is a more restrained and focused expression of what the gang at Westland Distillery hoped to showcase with their native oak project. Whereas the initial release was a big, bold, and brash expression, full of spice and a bit of smoke, this year’s edition dials back the peat and lets the oak have center stage. With 21% of the blend coming from Oregon Garryana barrels, the impact of that influence is allowed to better integrate into harmony with the remaining 52% of ex-Bourbon-aged malt, along with the 27% virgin oak matured whisky. Still present is the BBQ smoke, the molasses, the coffee bean, and robust flavor that highlighted last year’s release, but this time around its under complete control, bent and shaped into precisely the right proportions. Many of us here at K&L thought the 2016 Garryana was one of the best whiskies of last year, and seeing that this year’s total production was a measly 2600 bottles, we recommend jumping on the one bottle we’re allowing customers to buy. Westland has proven again and again that they are America’s premier single malt distillery. The 2017 release of Garryana should put any last doubts to bed.