Tasting notes

nose

strawberry, raisin and fig, red fruit, red licorice and citrus peel

palate

black currant, strawberry shortcake, clove, forest floor and caramel custard

finish

mint panna cotta and graham cracker, cherry jam and orange marmalade, trailing off into pine and birch

Mash bill

100% malted barley. Every whiskey in this cuvée is Westward's all-malt single malt; the berry character comes from finishing portions of it in Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir barrels, not from the grain.

Why it's craft

Borrowing the idea of a winemaker's cuvée, Westward married single malts finished in four different red wine barrels from three wine regions: Oregon's Willamette Valley, Sonoma County and Australia's Margaret River. Each component started as an ale brewed from barley at the Portland distillery, then was double distilled and aged in new American oak before its wine finish.