Westland Distillery
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°34′36″N 122°20′05″W / 47.5766°N 122.3347°W |
| Owner | Rémy Cointreau |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Matt Hofmann Emerson Lamb |
| Architect | Urbanadd, Upward Architecture |
| Status | Active |
| Water source | Cedar River watershed |
| No. of stills | 2 |
| Capacity | 7,570 litres (2,000 US gal) 5,670 litres (1,500 US gal) |
| Website | westlanddistillery |
| Flagship | |
| Age(s) | 40 months |
| Cask type(s) |
|
| ABV | 46% (92 proof) |
| Characteristics | Nose: Custard filling, marionberry compote, maple brittle, toasted marshmallow. Palate: Almond nougat, crème brûlée, black tea, white flower petals, malted milk balls. |
| Solum Edition 3 | |
| Age(s) | 48 months |
| Cask type(s) |
|
| ABV | 50% (100 proof) |
| Characteristics | Nose: Vanilla custard, pralines, grilled pineapple, croissant. Palate: Toasted sourdough, cedar, baked pear, candied ginger. |
| Colere Edition 4 | |
| Age(s) | 71 months |
| Cask type(s) |
|
| ABV | 50% (100 proof) |
| Characteristics | Nose: Pear skin, dried apricot, light brown sugar, croissant, fresh tangerine Palate: Apple turnover, dried fruit mix, cocoa butter, jasmine green tea. |
| Garryana Edition 9 | |
| Age(s) | 5 years |
| Cask type(s) |
|
| ABV | 46% (92 proof) |
| Characteristics | Nose: Burnt marshmallow, biscuit, mocha, almond cream. Palate: Ground clove, cinnamon stick, peppermint tea, bread pudding. |
| Location | |
Westland Distillery is a distillery in Seattle. Their Garryana single malt whiskey was placed third best in the world in a 2023 blind taste test conducted by Whisky Advocate magazine.[1] Garryana is aged in barrels made from Pacific Northwest native Garry oak, Quercus garryana.[2] The company has a farm for experimental craft malting barley varieties in the Skagit Valley, north of Seattle, as well as purchasing barley from Skagit Valley Malting there.[3]
Theft
In July 2025, Westland Distillery was the victim of a sophisticated theft where a truck went to the Burlington, Washington warehouse with apparently valid documents and drove off with ten-year old Garryana and other whiskeys worth at least $924,000. The incident was investigated by the Skagit County Sheriff in August, and reported to the public in September.[4][5]
Awards
In 2023 the distillery's Garryana 8th Edition was ranked third worldwide on Whisky Advocate’s annual Top 20 Whiskeys list, making it the highest-ranked American whiskey that year.[1][6]
In 2024 Westland’s Wine Cask Finish American Single Malt placed #20 on Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 Whiskeys of 2024, marking the second consecutive year that the distillery was included in the publication’s international rankings.[7] In 2024 the distillery was also awarded Double Gold medal at the New York International Spirits Competition for one of their Cask expressions, judged by a panel of industry professionals.[8]
In international competitions, Westland has maintained a consistent presence at the World Whiskies Awards. In 2023, the distillery was named Best American Single Malt, also securing a Category Winner title and additional Gold and Silver medals for various releases. The following year, the Solum Edition 2 received a Bronze medal in the World Whiskies Awards' single malt category.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Seattle distillery makes history after whiskey ranks 3rd in the world". Seattle: KIRO-TV. December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Jonah Flicker (January 13, 2023). "One of America's Best Single Malt Whiskey Distillers Just Revealed Details About Its February Release". Robb Report. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ JACQUELINE (August 27, 2021). "Distillery opens whiskey facility to continue work with barley in Skagit County". Skagit Valley Herald. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Vinh, Tan (September 25, 2025). "Award-winning Washington state distillery says thieves took 12,000 whiskey bottles". The Seattle Times – via The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington).
- ^ Boone, Rebecca (September 27, 2025). "Thieves steal $1M worth in craft whiskey from Washington distillery". AP News. Associated Press.
- ^ "Seattle whisky named 3rd best in the world". KOMO News. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
- ^ "This WA whiskey is among the best in the world". The Seattle Times. 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
- ^ "Who were the double gold winners at the New York International Spirits Competition 2024?". Global Drinks Intel. 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
- ^ "Bronze – Westland Whiskey / Solum Edition 2 – World whisky awards 2024". www.worldwhiskiesawards.com. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
External links