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Westland American Oak American Single Malt
American Single Malt — Washington , USA
Reviewed
June 7, 2019 (edited October 22, 2019)
Perusing the ABC Store aisles in a larger neighboring county, I came across this one on sale for $38. I wondered why I had never given this $40'ish dollar single malt a try (NC sale items are usually only a couple dollars off), so I picked one up. It was only after I got home, sampled and liked it, that I decided to look up the regular price. That's when I realized why I had never given this one a second glance. It's regular price is $70! NC must be closing this one out...Now on to my tasting notes.
NOSE: Unique. Leather, Unlit Cigar, Oak, Toffee, Tea, Hay, maybe a hint of Orange Peel, all wrapped in a light floral note.
NEAT: Enters slightly Bitter and Hoppy, like a Stout Beer. Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Burnt Popcorn, Unsweetened Dark Chocolate, and Unlit Cigar. Finishes with a medium length light tingle. The palate is coated with a touch of sweetness that lingers on the palate along with a smoky/ashy almost peaty flavor.
SPLASH: Ups the Floral Note on the nose while adding tea to the palate. Also amplifies the lingering Ashy Note.
VERDICT: Different and Delicious. Before I became a seasoned whiskey drinker I knew what Bourbon and Jack and Crown tasted like just from casual drinking. This is what I imagined scotch tasting like. I'm not sure that I'd consider this a great $70 whiskey, but I damn sure consider it a great $40 whiskey. So much so that I went back and blew my next two months liquor budget on 5 more bottles. If you are in NC, seek this one out at the close out price of $38, and thank me later.
70.0
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per
Bottle
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Great review! I’m really impressed with the whiskies coming out of the PNW. I just recently bought Westward’s single malt stout cask finish and it’s delicious.
@BDanner Well I guess I have to go back and check the bottle, I grabbed the box when there was one bottle standalon available
@Guitar_mann suits to a tee.
@BDanner Thanks for the great info. I will spelunk around in Greensboro and see what our situation is. Apparently, my "Stone Age" comment still holds.
@Zachary-Robbins @Guitar_mann I've solved this mystery. Went into a different New Hanover store today and they had they Westland in two different places. On the Boutique shelf for $70 and on the discontinued shelf for $38. Same UPC code on both, the only difference was that one was in a box and the other was not. I picked up one in the box and went to the register. It rang up $70. When I questioned it he said this one's not on sale, THAT one is. I said, but it's the same thing and he said no, they've changed the label and the packaging. It's very confusing since the UPC is the same. Sure enough, the one in the box is updated with the new label that adds the words "American Oak". The other one just says American Single Malt (looks like the label they currently show here on Distiller). So apparently, this ABC got the memo that only the Westland without the box was clearance. The other ABC did not. So, I wasn't supposed to get the ones I purchased for $38 for that price. That particular ABC messed up. They really only had one bottle that should've been sold for $38 with the old label. The ones I got in the box were still supposed to be $70. "
@Zachary-Robbins Guitar-Mann has provided the answer to the price difference.
@Guitar_mann thanks for the information.
@BDanner. In NC, if a local ABC boad wants to close out an item they are no longer going to carry, they can discount the remaining inventory at less than the State price. I just bought some cordials at a store in an adjacent county to Guilford that were not on sale. I asked the clerk about it and she said they would no longer be stocking this flavor. However, it's still on the state listing and is available all over for regular price. The "Good ol' North State" ... still in the Stone Age!
@WhiskeyLonghorn Enjoy! It looks like cool place.
Quality review! I’ll be in Seattle next month and was planning to visit their distillery (where their standard bottles are a lot cheaper than standard retail!). Your review has got me even more excited now. Cheers!
@Zachary-Robbins I know. I’ve taken bottles to the register and had it ring up for more than the shelf price. I’ve questioned it and gotten the response “we have to go by what’s in the system, the tag must be wrong “. This was marked as a sale item, with a sign and everything. I’ll just accept the gift from the whiskey Gods and be thankful that they chose to smile upon me for once.
@BDanner It could've been a mistake in labeling, otherwise that reduction would've probably been illegal and you know how strict they are.
@Zachary-Robbins I’ve never known prices to vary from county to county. I assumed they all worked off the same system. This is a puzzler.
@Zachary-Robbins that’s weird. I wonder if this was a different packaging or something? UPCCode on this one is 8 55410 00302 4 In a box. American Oak Westland Single Malt
@BDanner I checked an ABC today that still had Westland and it's still $70
@Zachary-Robbins Thanks! Might be a way to catch a few bargains on higher end, slow moving stuff.
@BDanner It's on the pricing reports page for liquor
@Zachary-Robbins good information. Where do you find the discontinued list?
@BDanner It's actually listed as a discontinued item on the February 2019 list. I wonder how many of these are discounted without sale price tags at the stores.
@BDanner Good call, I'll stop by and get a price check tomorrow. Seems like a great buy at $40
@Zachary-Robbins this was Wednesday afternoon in New Hanover. Went back on Thursday. Even if the sale tag in Carborro lists it at 70, it should 38 in the system if they do a price check. I think all sales are state wide, right?
I was at ABC two days ago in Carrboro and it's still $70. I'll have to be on the lookout for a sale.
I got this a year ago at $60 and was disappointed. But maybe I’ll try it again and think about it within the context for being less than $40... (I’ve seen it on sale for about $45-$50 at my ABC in Florida)