Westward Whiskey Oregon Stout Cask Finish

The first permanent extension to the Westward Whiskey range – Westward Oregon Stout Cask Finish – has recently become available in Australia.

Launched in Oregon in February 2019, Australia is the first international market to access Westward Oregon Stout Cask Finish, demonstrating the distiller’s strong commitment to the Australian market.

“Australia has been a remarkable success for Westward,” CEO Thomas Mooney told the Drinks Adventures podcast in late 2019.

“Over the year to date, Australia has contributed more than 30 per cent of [total] brand sales.”

Oregon Stout Cask Finish is my favourite of the three Westward expressions currently available in Australia.

Whisky expert Dave Broom recently told the podcast that distilleries should be making spirits that speak of where they come from.

Given Westward hails from Portland, Oregon – the city dubbed Beervana – this whisky certainly does just that.

The stout cask finishing brings further depth and complexity to Westward’s signature rich, sweet, fruity style, derived from the use of ale yeast, a low and slow ferment and maturation in new American oak.

“This is a stout-finished whiskey, not a stout-flavoured whiskey,” head distiller Miles Monroe told us in a virtual masterclass celebrating the launch.

Indeed; balance is the word here. There’s just enough of the roasty, chocolatey notes from the beer coming through on the palate, along with an appealing umami character, and the finish is nice and dry.

And, in the context of Australian whisky prices, the RRP of $150 for 700ml represents pretty decent value.

Westward American Single Malt Whiskey is available in Australia through Think Spirits.