So, this year there’s a rather amazing Deanston. Last year there were two Single Barrel Westward bottlings. This cask strength one and a Stout cask that I still need to review too.

This one clocks in at a massive 62.5% ABV, so not a dram to start your evening with. Generally, I kind of like Norbert’s picks, so my expectations were quite high for this one. I know he loves his American whiskies and I’m really glad he’s been able to get some of these more limited editions into The Netherlands too. It’s not often that something like that happens.

Sniff:
There are a lot of big, sweet notes happening here. Charcoal and barbecue pork marinade. Grains too, and there’s a different take on oak maturation than I’m used to from Scotch. The insanely high ABV is not quite noticeable right away.

Sip:
The palate does show the ABV, though. It’s rather hot and spicy, still with the barbecue notes from the nose. Charcoal, sweet marinade, caramelized brown sugar, caramel apples, oak and grain.

Swallow:
The finish needs to wait a little while before properly showing up. The palate just gets too hot and takes some time to settle down, but there certainly are some lovely flavors that linger. There’s a woody sweetness with a typical American style to them. Very different than Scotch. Lots of grain, lots of caramel, but not overly sweet.

With this whisky probably only being a few years old, it’s quite remarkable how singular it already is. Westward is really doing their own thing, and this one has a surprising depth and maturity to it. Very enjoyable indeed!

86/100

Still available in The Netherlands for about € 90, although Ace Drinks has it for € 82