Westward Pinot Noir Cask

An Amercan single malt whiskey. Not something you come across every day. I got to know this distiller thanks to an online World Whisky Tour tasting a few months ago. A single malt from Oregon, that in itself sounds very interesting. Distilled from locally grown barley and matured in a climate with hot dry summers and cold wet winters, allowing for maximum interaction between the spirit and the wood. They currently have three expressions: their American single malt and then one finished on Stout Casks and one finished on Pinot Noir Casks from Suzor Wines. I quite like the first one and the last one is now in my glass. Beautiful bottle too.

Oh, wow, what a great nose indeed! Brown sugar, creamy vanilla, ripe fruit. Think plums, raisins, apricots and some chocolate, but also baked apples and a whole range of baker’s spices.

That continues unabated on the palate, although chocolate and spices capture most of your attention. A tad less sweet than the nose let on with a clear influence of the wine. But it works fine. I get tobacco, leather, rum-raisins and pear drops. All of this around a heart of sweet malt.

The finish is medium long, sweet like plum liqueur with a bit of tannins at the death.

I’m impressed. Tracking down the Stout version as we speak!