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By Father John Rayls Rating: B+ Westland Distillery began operating in Seattle, WA in 2010, producing their 92 proof Single Malt American Whiskey. In 2014, they began shipping nationally via Anchor Distilling, pushing the concept of a product with ingredients grown and produced exclusively from the Pacific Northwest. Emerson Lamb, President of Westland Distillery, wants to put the state of ...

By Andrew Graham Grade: B+ Let’s start off by getting technical. Scotch-makers must use 100% malted barley in their mash bill. U.S. regulations, by contrast, permit a spirit that’s just 51% malted barley to be labeled as malt whiskey. So this American malt might taste more like a bourbon, that American malt might taste more like a rye, and it ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C Some craft distilleries follow a path of focusing on one thing, such as Garrison Brothers and their Texas Bourbon or Westland and their Washington Malt. Others make many styles of whiskey and follow a course of variety. Iowa’s Cedar Ridge Distillery is one of these, and in pursuing that route they have an entry in ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Although Colorado’s Stranahan’s Distillery was one of the trailblazers of the craft whiskey movement, not just in that state but in the U.S. as a whole, one of the ironies is that few actually followed in their path. Whereas most micro-distilleries throw themselves into a whole range of spirits—sourced and in-house; white and brown—Stranahan’s focused ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: C+ Widow Jane is the micro-distillery out of Red Hook, Brooklyn, owned by Cacao Prieto, the maker of “beans-to-bar” fresh chocolates. Their spirit expressions are largely not distilled at their distillery, but are instead sourced whiskey from other distilleries in Kentucky and maybe Indiana. Widow Jane Distillery has their own still, however, and are now beginning ...