Rating: 14/23 I was pretty impressed by this when I tried it in a bar. It struck me as a stand-out American single malt that was fairly priced. N: Some ale yeast, apples, herbal peat, a bit of smoke, salty minerality bordering on brine. Of course, it's malty with some associated sweetness, but it isn't super malty. I don't want to oversell you on this though: it smells young and not terribly deep - though the complexity is solid. P: Malty, lightly toasty, peaty with a little bit of herbal character and singed grass. Faint apples. Plenty of ale yeast. Dashes of vanilla and cinnamon from the barrel. Kind of light with a few stark flavors that balance decently but don't integrate terribly well. It's all a bit immature and uncomplex, and the complexity doesn't really come out here either. F: Toasty grain with some light peat and faint smoke. Wafts of apple and vanilla come through occasionally. - Conclusion - I think I see how I thought that this was so much better when I first tried it than I now realize it is. In the right context, the youthfulness is hidden and the balance of ale and peat really jams. On a clean palate though, it's clear that although the flavors here are good this is a young an uncomplex whiskey. Like Amrut Peated, this isn't the most complex. This doesn't have as nice of a flavor though and it certainly tastes younger. The Amrut is smoker with a truer peated malt flavor. It's also a little more complex and cohesive, as well as a tad less hot. With all of that considered, I think that the Westland is about 2 points below the Amrut. It could be 3 points. I still have high hopes for Westland, but after being burned here I think I'll be less likely to purchase a bottle in the future. The one remaining thing to do is see how this bottle oxidizes and hope that the air matures it and brings out some complexity. I don't think that this is the 16 I thought previously. It's more in the 14 range, unfortunately. Could be a 15. There are good flavors at the core here, but they aren't fully developed. I feel like this has the youthful brashness of Shin 10 without the bombardment of complexity. The flavors are still good here, but they need time to develop. Since I gave Shin 10 a 15 and this isn't as good, I think that's a solid sign that this should be a 14. It's a shame that Westland is axing this product though. It shows some good potential and the removal of a peated option from their line is a disappointment.