Water of Life

Westward American Single Malt and Aerolite Lyndsay

Transitioning almost seamlessly from my recent tribute to the Kings of Punk, i.e. Poison Idea feature, we are going to stay in Portland, Oregon to shed light on a distillery that in terms of American Single Malt has been one of the domineering brands for the last twenty years, i.e. Westward Whiskey. 

I have heard many a enthusiast rave about Westward’s artisanal approach and unwillingness to compromise in terms of quality, with literally every facet of their operations being handled in a dedicated manner in-house with a focus on provenance, i.e. sourcing locally grown barley and ale yeast to then ferment it at a low temperature to produce an American Ale, which is then used as the source material to be distilled twice in their custom-made stills before maturation begins in their carefully curated and lightly charred American Oak barrels.

It was about time that I actually got to sample what kind of signature flavour profile the  avoidance of shortcuts and Westward’s craftmanship results in. 

Expectations were high, specifically given that I have just recently been spoiled by being able to sample the full range of Whiskey Hunt’s highly covered barrel picks.

Westward’s core expression tickles the nostrils upon approach with a delicate melange of syrupy, nutty and dark roasted coffee notes, which are accentuated by fruity highlights on the ripe banana end of the spectrum.

Silky in terms of mouthfeel, what materialises on the top of the mouth is a continuation of what the nose promised with caramel and dark nutty chocolate flavours becoming more dominant.

The medium length slightly floral finish rounds things out by meandering between toasted peanuts, cardamon and hazelnutty flavours counterpointed by a delicate bitterness reminiscent of strong coffee and the faintest hints of wood smoke and oaky sweetness.

Not bad, not bad at all. 

Needless to say, after ticking quite a few boxes with their core expression, I was intrigued as what was to expect from Westward Distillery’s celebration of Oregon’s much fabled about craft beer culture with them channelling their alchemy in a barrel exchange program, which sees Westward’s used barrels being infused with the characteristics of Stout.

In essence, Westward’s Stout Cask Finish is based on the aforementioned core expression before being aged for twelve months in Stout casks. 

The outcome takes Westward’s core expression to the next level with an refreshing avalanche of honeyed vanilla, citrus and spicy aromas. 

On the palate things culminate in a crescendo of brown sugary, malty highlights and milky chocolate, which transitions into the pleasantly elongated finish with peaches engaging in an interplay with orangey, hoppy and herbal notes, peaking with a bit of a nutmeggy, spicy kick. The perfect companion for any boilermaker.

Summa summarum, Westward delivers the goods and if you are remotely into American Whiskeys, you would be ill advised to not indulge in what their dedicated artisanal approach results in. Personally, I was specifically impressed by what they have achieved with their barrel exchange program, which as I understand it meant to become a staple in its core line-up,  and I look forward to their future expressions.

Aerolite Lyndsay

For anyone remotely following this series, it should not come as a surprise that I thoroughly enjoy exploring and discovering new aquae vitae variants, especially those of the peated and smoky persuasion emanating from the hallowed mossy bog grounds and particular topography of the remote and rugged little island known as Islay. 

While experiencing new whiskies that aid in expanding one’s horizon with merits that take what the respective region is known for to new heights, having the opportunity to experience characterful smoky whiskies from one of the nine Islay distilleries that I have not yet had the opportunity to try make me borderline giddy – even more so, when the focus is firmly put on authenticity and provenance. 

Enter Aerolite Lyndsay.

Chances are that if you come across Aerolite Lyndsay in the increasingly crowded Islay section of your local liquor outlet, it will instantenously catch your attention due to its attractive retro packaging and the intriguing name, which is not an easy feat these days given the way marketing heavily relies on embellishing legends of history and traditionalism and presenting it in an aesthetically pleasing manner to an ever evolving, savvy global audience.

The name Aerolite Lyndsay not merely captures one’s imagination and sounds suitably evocative but is in essence quite utilitarian as it is an anagram of ‘a ten year old islay’, with the presentation and name being deliberate as the idea is to not distract from the liquid with intricate marketing ploys.

Given the clever nomenclature, I was not surprised to learn that the bottler The Character of Islay Whisky Company is an imprint of Atom Brands, who are consistently pushing the envelope with That Boutique-y Whisky Company releases, with every facet of its releases being informed by a meticulous attention to detail and tongue firmly placed in cheek with their comic-style labels and the occasional easter egg to be found in its custom-made artwork illustrations. 

Composed of a blend of juice from an unnamed distillery that has been matured in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry Spanish oak and a small percentage of undisclosed casks and clocking in at 46% ABV, the aromas the nose is greeted with upon approach catapult one straight to the maritime, saline coastal environment that Islay is loved for, i.e. a melange of smoky peat, brine, bandage-sque antiseptic iodine with highlights of the lively tartness of green apples, liquorice and the faintest hint of a spicy paprika and fresh peppery kick. 

Nice.

What the nose promises is seamlessly unfolding on the top of the mouth: My receptors on the palate rejoice with glee as they greet the welcome mineral heavy, salty coastal and slightly tarry smokiness, which evolves further with syrupy and lemony highlights and is rounded out with dark chocolatey, roasted coffee nuances and a delicate tannic oakiness.

The finish, which results in a delicious crescendo of naturally sweet fruits, burnt toffee and a dominating woody phenolic peatiness,  could be a tad more complex and elongated for my taste, yet does its job as it leaves one lusting for another dram.

In essence, Aerolite Lyndsay is an expertly calibrated, charming tasty little number that expertly ticks a wide array of characteristics that make the aspects of a peated Islay whisky the immensely enjoyable exercise it is. 

I look forward to future releases from The Character of Islay Whisky Company and hope that with a future instalment of this series, we can finally cover That Boutique-y Whisky Company, as it has been in the making for the longest time.