The Westland Distillery’s 6th Annual Peat Week Single Malt Whiskey

Tasting notes:
The nose on this dram is a minty, barley popcorn seasoning that provokes confusion when it hits the market, but then quickly develops a cult following. There’s also Tellicherry black pepper and, early on in the nose, furniture polish that strips off the finish if it isn’t buffed off in time. This last note may give some readers a negative impression, but that would be a mistake: it’s meant more to convey something about the impressive power of the aroma profile here. 

The mouth is stunning, both in the amount of peat it offers and in terms of the layering of flavors: it’s creosote layered on a cave-aged cheese. No dirty sock smell here: this is high octane clean peat. John noted that this makes Octomore taste like Octoless. Buckle up: the gauntlet has been thrown. At first it’s overwhelming, but water saves the experience in much the way that Looney Tunes Saint Bernard comes to the rescue.

The finish is Håaland striking the ball into the corner of the net for another Dortmund win. It evokes notes of an expertly prepared spirit smudge stick. Adding water, it softens the brightness to about 15,000 lumens. That effect made Bill think of going the other way: adding Everclear to bring it into the seventies would make it even more memorable, but for the blacking out. We don’t recommend you try that at home, nor that you adulterate this dram much at all, because it’s simply splendid.

   

Rating:
On the scale of permutations of well-worn sayings–

The Westland Peat Week 6th Annual (60.4% abv) is the sixth time is a charm–All previous editions of Westland’s Peat Week have been impressive in their own right, but my goodness does this one ever shine.

   

   

                                                   —Stephen

   

   

–Our thanks to Westland for the sample!