American Single Malt Whiskey

Puget Sound, USA

Westland Distillery's flagship unpeated American single malt from Seattle, the producer most responsible for establishing the American single malt category as a serious fine spirits genre. Co-founded by Matt Hofmann and Emerson Lamb in 2010, Westland uses five malted barley varieties (including roasted and crystal malts), Washington State barley exclusively since 2016, and a variety of cask types including new American oak, first-fill bourbon, and sherry. The base expression demonstrates the house style: rich, malt-driven, sweeter than Scotch, with pronounced caramel and stone fruit character from the American oak influence.

Pairing intelligence

• digestif: American single malt with dark chocolate is an extension of the established Scotch-and-chocolate pairing, with the American grain adding sweet corn notes that bridge with the ganache's sweetness. Fleur de sel amplifies the contrast between salt and the whisky's sweetness; smoked caramel bridges with the oak smoke in the spirit. Hazelnut's fat content rounds the alcohol presence.
• casual: Westland's roasted-barley richness and light peat smoke echo the applewood; caramel and vanilla from the cask act as natural sauce complements.
• cheese: The whiskey's aged oak and butterscotch character echoes the caramelised notes of aged Gouda while the salted almond amplifies the malt's sweetness.
• main: Westland's coastal, ale-yeast-influenced malt profile is an American echo of the Scotch tradition with haggis — the barley provenance is shared, and the spirit's warmth lifts offal's richness elegantly.
• amuse: The American Single Malt's subtle smoke and grain sweetness bridges the smoked parfait while the brioche's richness calls for the whiskey's natural sweetness; cornichon acidity cuts through both.