Westland Maris Otter Whiskey Review
Buy — and save for a special moment.
As a long time bourbon and whiskey drinker, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten excited about a new whiskey released on the market by a new-ish distillery.
Generally, I’ve found local distilleries releasing product that is 2–3x the price of on the shelf bottles, that taste average at best.
I understand that it take time to scale, but personally, it’s not worth my time or money to pay more for something with a forgettable flavor.
So, when Westland came on my radar back in 2013, I knew they were young, but they were capturing magic in a bottle. So, I waited a few years and then came back.
The magic has arrived here in 2019, in the form of the Maris Otter single cask release (cask no. 2560).
Maris Otter is a winter barley varietal that formerly used in authentic British ales, before it became unpopular due to its lower yield and susceptibility to diseases.
Now, as a finance professional, I can virtually guarantee it was someone in the finance department that pointed out this insight about Maris Otter.
Anyway, as the industry switched to higher yield grains with higher disease resistance, flavor got lost along the way. Or, so Westland Distillery claims.
After the first sip, I was a believer.
From start to finish, this whiskey was just so incredibly smooth, well-balanced and so flavorful. There was also a incredible finish that lasted a 2–3 minutes.
Now let me be real here, while the whiskey itself was sublime, the finish was the star and world class. My entire mouth was buzzing from the tiny sip that I took, and I was transported back in time.
Back to when I first tried flights of Willett 17, 18 and 21 year old bourbons. ($2K+/bottle now).
I remembered drinking William Larue Weller ($850/bottle), George T Stagg ($700/bottle), and Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old ($1500/bottle).
So, when I found out that the Westland Maris Otter whiskey clocked in at $130/bottle, I was happy to purchase because it was available on the shelf, and comparable to these unavailable and astronomically priced world class bourbons.
For me, a special bottle of whiskey can elevate an already special moment, and the Westland Maris Otter definitely fits the bill.
I can see myself holding onto this bottle until I reach a milestone like launching a start-up, or to celebrate a major success of family or friends.
It’s early, but I’m already calling that this bottle will win some serious awards by the time 2020 rolls around (because awards are always 1 year in arrears).
So with only 219 bottles available, and all the the distillery, get your quick because these are going to sell out soon.
Cheers,
Nate
