Seattle’s Westland Distillery has released the second edition of its Solum American single malt whiskey.
Solum is part of the distillery’s Outpost Range, made up of limited-edition annual releases which showcase a “sense of place”. Each whiskey in the series highlights a different resource native to the Pacific Northwest: oak (Garryana, a former American Whiskey Magazine Editor's Choice), grain (Colere), and peat (Solum).
The second edition of Solum is distilled from 100 per cent Washington peated malt, and is aged one year longer in cask than the previous edition. Westland’s peat was sourced from a bog near the distillery using techniques designed to preserve the bog’s existing ecosystem.
According to Westland’s master blender Shane Armstrong: “Solum is a nod to tradition with an eye to the future.”
He continued: “Edition 2 has a very similar structure to the inaugural release except for maturation time. This will be the case for the next few years, which is an interesting way to experience the impact of age. For this lap around the sun, the fresh fruit notes have been supplanted by a complex array of herbs.
“Solum contains the most obvious connection to our Pacific Northwest region, while drawing a direct line to the lineage of single malt whiskey making. So far, the flavors trend toward the earthier end of peat, moss, and sage, with lighter charred wood notes. This character contrasts the medicinal and overt wood smoke found in other peated whiskeys.”
Solum was released in Washington on February 9, and will arrive throughout the US later this month.
Solum is part of the distillery’s Outpost Range, made up of limited-edition annual releases which showcase a “sense of place”. Each whiskey in the series highlights a different resource native to the Pacific Northwest: oak (Garryana, a former American Whiskey Magazine Editor's Choice), grain (Colere), and peat (Solum).
The second edition of Solum is distilled from 100 per cent Washington peated malt, and is aged one year longer in cask than the previous edition. Westland’s peat was sourced from a bog near the distillery using techniques designed to preserve the bog’s existing ecosystem.
According to Westland’s master blender Shane Armstrong: “Solum is a nod to tradition with an eye to the future.”
He continued: “Edition 2 has a very similar structure to the inaugural release except for maturation time. This will be the case for the next few years, which is an interesting way to experience the impact of age. For this lap around the sun, the fresh fruit notes have been supplanted by a complex array of herbs.
“Solum contains the most obvious connection to our Pacific Northwest region, while drawing a direct line to the lineage of single malt whiskey making. So far, the flavors trend toward the earthier end of peat, moss, and sage, with lighter charred wood notes. This character contrasts the medicinal and overt wood smoke found in other peated whiskeys.”
Solum was released in Washington on February 9, and will arrive throughout the US later this month.
