Westland Distillery

A New Distillery Opens, Years in the Making

By Leonard Rede

Single malt whiskey for many is the pinnacle in the craft of distilling. For years the pursuit of fine single malt has always meant Scotland; today distillers around the world including Japan are giving the Scots a run for their money. Now a couple of young men here in Seattle have set their sights on making world class single malt.

"Thoughtfully Made" - this statement sits above the name 'Deacon Seat' the premier release single malt whiskey from Westland Distillery. When you first walk into Westland's impressive 13,000 square foot SoDo location you can tell from the first waft of fermenting malt to the rows of used sherry barrels that the people here are doing it right.

Founder and President Emerson Lamb grew up Hoquiam; his family had been in the paper and pulp industry for five generations. When he was a young boy his father said to him that the future of the family business was going to be in his hands and that he didn't know what the future of pulp and paper was going to be in the Pacific Northwest. Years later, he fell in love with single malt whiskey while in Scotland, and thus came the inspiration for Westland and the future of his family's business.

"The Pacific Northwest has all the ingredients needed to create a single malt that can stand with the best whiskies in the world," says Lamb. "It is home to some of the best barley growing regions and highest quality water sources found on earth. For us, Seattle was a natural place to build our single malt whiskey distillery."

Single Malt is more akin to fine Cognac than, say, bourbon, in that the idea is to let the flavors of the malted barley come through. For years, the Pacific Northwest has been known for growing some of the highest quality barley. Many parts of the country, including the East Coast, grow six-row barley varieties best. The Midwest mostly grows six-row, where it is commonly used in making American-style high-adjunct beers, because it can easily convert unmalted starches in such ingredients as corn and rice, read Coors and Bud. Two-row production is limited to milder climates like that of the Pacific Northwest. It is this two-row barley that has helped make the Pacific Northwest a center for the micro-brewing revolution.

It is the mash, the beer that will be distilled into whiskey that separates single malt from bourbon. In bourbon, corn has to make up at least 51% of the mash bill. It is the use of a single malt that separates Westland from many of the whiskeys being produced in U.S.

Master distiller Matt Hofmann's skill and knowledge belies his years. Matt has honed his craft by earning a Certificate in Distilling from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in Brewing and Distilling from the International Centre of Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently Matt is working on his Master's thesis. Not bad for a kid who dropped out of the UW to explore the world of craft distilling.

Hoffman has at his disposal the largest still in the state, one of the largest outside Kentucky. Custom built by Vendome Copper & Brass Works of Louisville, Kentucky, the wash still is a unique onion followed by a four-plate column still standing 20 feet tall followed by a 1500 gallon spirit still.

Hofmann (at left in photo; Emerson at right) masterfully combines Scottish techniques and local ingredients to create a distinctive whiskey that is once familiar and one of a kind. For Westland's Flagship American Single Malt Whiskey, he uses a mash bill comprised of five different roasted and kilned barley malts, Belgian Brewer's Yeast and matures it for 27 months in full-size New American oak. Westland has a rack-house for storing the barrels in Hoquiam, the family's home, the climate - cool, foggy, wet, dark - much like Scotland's, is perfect for aging whiskey. This is one thing that distinguishes Westland; many distilleries will use smaller barrels to speed up the aging process. But many times rushed whiskey will be rough, lacking the benefit of aging to smooth out the edges.

Tasting note: a sweet nose with hints of cocoa nib, bright fresh and floral with hints of hints of caramel and vanilla - fresh baked cookies. It elegantly straddles the world of single malt and bourbon; think Scotch with a Kentucky accent. Also, the bold taste makes for a good base for cocktails. Click here to take a look at "Good Medicine" from master Mixologist Amanda Reed of Tavern Law.

Hoffman and Westland are getting ready to release a peated single malt that has been finished in traditional sherry casks. This has to be one of the finest whiskies I have tasted outside of Scotland.

Tasting note: The smoke and peat are subtle, reminiscent of a Highland Scotch, smooth, mellow with beautifully nutty sweetness, cinnamon and a delicate layer of Oloroso bracken.

The Deacon Seat was their first special release. This is what they have to say about the Deacon Seat. "During the opening of the West, the first task for axe men in a new logging camp was to fell a tree, halve it, then lay it flat side up. This became the Deacon Seat, a bench that ran the length of the eventual bunkhouse and became the center of camp life. The Deacon Seat was a place to rest, a place to band together over a dram of whiskey, a place of level ground upon which to build one's place in the West. This whiskey is our Deacon Seat. Our first step."

I believe that Westland will one day be synonymous with Seattle, like Starbucks or Microsoft, our Pacific Northwest single malt distillery. Westland is a company with its roots firmly in Washington state, helmed by a young generation with the patience to do things right and the vision to dream big.

Westland Distillery
2931 First Ave S, Ste B
Seattle, WA 98134
206-767-7250

Tour hours: Thursday to Sunday by appointment only
Tour reservations via email: tours@westlanddistillery.com

Lenny Rede is the European Specialist at Esquin, Seattle's oldest wine shop. He has worked as a Wine Steward and Wine Buyer for Metropolitan Market and Wine World, and is an instructor in the Wine Technology Program at South Seattle Community College. He is a classically-trained chef and pastry chef with nearly 30 years of experience in the restaurant business. Most recently he was a Chef Instructor at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.

February 2014