Category - Spirits
New to American Single Malt Whiskey? My Favorite Affordable Bottle Is the Perfect Introduction
One of the biggest stories in the whiskey industry last year was the official recognition of American Single Malt as a legal category—it’s the first new spirits category to be added in half a century. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued their final ruling in December, though we’ve been talking about American Single Malt since at least 2018.
In that time, one of the names that kept coming up is Westland Distillery. As longtime supporters of the drive to recognize American single malt, its Westland Flagship is a terrific intro to the category.
What is American single malt? The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission had been hashing out the details with the government since its creation in 2016. As a founding member of the commission, Westland Distillery was working “on the conviction that American Single Malt Whiskey could and should stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest whiskeys in the world,” according to Westland’s managing director, Justin Moore. After more than a decade, the efforts paid off, though the nuances of some requirements sparked a bit of discontent.
In general, though, the agreed-upon guidelines call for a spirit with a mash of 100 percent malted barley, distilled at 160 proof or less at the same distillery, then stored in oak barrels for a minimum of 2 years. While bourbon producers often play around with the species of grains in the mash bill, like corn, rye, or wheat, American single malt has no such flexibility.
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That doesn’t mean that distillers don’t have options. Instead, they focus on various cask finishes, distillation proofs, and distinct malts within the barley category. Even the aging location can play a part in the flavoring. It’s a similar process to how various Scotch whiskies distinguish themselves, and that’s also part of why Westland’s Flagship is a great American single malt.
First, the Flagship has a mash bill with six different grains, mixing a bevy of locally-sourced American malt with heavily peated malt from Scotland. Founded in 2011, Westland has worked with a number of local farmers to gin up more than two dozen different varieties of the grain, so they’ve got quite a few to choose from.
Second, if six grains weren’t enough, the Flagship is made with spirit finished in five different casks, ranging from ex-bourbon casks to a more Scotch-inspired oloroso finish. Using a variety of cask-finishes has long been a favorite of Scotch distillers, and it seamlessly made the leap to American single malt as well.
Finally, as a whiskey born in Seattle, there’s basically no way to mistake it for anything else. Westland ages their spirits in Washington’s Skagit Valley region, a verdant area of the state roughly 50 miles south of the Canadian border. Skagit Valley is known for its tulip festival and lush river, so it would be tough to mistake the terroir for anything else.

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All of these factors shine through immediately when you take a sip—the Flagship’s not a Scotch, it ain’t a rye, and it’s definitely not a bourbon. Instead, the gorgeous amber liquid hits different. It does have an almost rye-like spice, but that comes on top of a superbly clean palate and the moderate, slow burn you’d expect from a 92 proof whiskey. It’s got some sweetness as well, though not enough to overpower the complexity. Overall, the Flagship is an excellent balance of new-but-familiar, a perfect representation of how American Single Malt is taking traditional distilling material and making it something new.
Even better, you get all of that at an under-$60 price point. There’s no denying that there are plenty of other great options living in that general price range, from imported Scotches and Irish whiskeys to domestic ryes and—of course—great bourbon. Still, by now most people already have an idea about what kind of bourbon they’re into, or what area of Scotland makes their favorite Scotch.
So instead, as the dust settles on this new phase in American whiskey, now is the perfect time to branch out into a new category that just recently went official. To me, Westland Flagship is the whiskey that I’d pick to start.
Related: How to Drink Scotch Whisky: Experts Share Their Best Tips