SEATTLE, January 11, 2022 - Calling all flip-flappers, flyers, and funambulists, it’s time to emerge from your winter quarters as the Week of Reek returns. Each year since 2015, Westland Distillery’s Peat Week has wowed peat-lovers nationwide, and this year is no different, as they release their 8th Annual Peat Week Festival bottling ($99.99 SRP; 54.5% ABV). This will be the last of the current series of Circus-themed bottlings made from Scottish peated barley. As the smoke clears from this year’s celebration, Westland will introduce an entirely new expression of peat with the long-awaited debut of Solum American Single Malt Whiskey, created using peat sourced locally in Washington State. Peat Week will continue and Solum—the final member of Westland’s Outpost Range, which celebrates Pacific Northwest provenance—will become the annual festival bottling.

Westland Distillery’s 8th Annual Peat Week Festival American Single Malt Whiskey

Tasting Notes:

·       Nose: Floral and fruit wax, pastry dough, charred cinnamon toast

·       Palate: Savory smoke, espresso, chocolate chip cookie dough

Specifications:

·       Malt: Baird’s Heavily Peated Malt

·       Cask: New American Oak Cooper’s Reserve

·       Yeast: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast

·       Total Maturation: 86 months

·       ABV/Proof: 54.5% / 109

“We’re so excited for the release of Solum in 2023 but also feeling a bit nostalgic this year,” says Westland’s Master Distiller and Co-Founder Matt Hofmann. “For Peat Week this year, we’ll celebrate the latest expression but also revisit favorites from the past eight years at events we’re hosting at the distillery.”

Westland Distillery’s 8th Annual Peat Week Events

In addition to the annual Peat Week release, Westland will host its annual week of events, featuring:

·       Peat Week Symposium

This year’s Symposium will look back at the Peat Week releases from years past, both the whiskey and the circus-themed Peat Week design and celebrate the 8th and final release of the circus-themed celebration of peat. Tickets will include entry and a whiskey tasting flight from Westland’s Peat Week archives. Attendees will have first dibs on this year’s Festival whiskey before its public debut. More information here.

Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm PST

Tickets: $15

·       Peat Week Cocktail Class

Westland’s in-house Beverage Curator will provide tips and tricks for how to create peated alchemy at home. Tickets will include entry and four cocktails with recipe and pairing bites. Attendees will have their first dibs on this year’s Peat Week festival whiskey before its public debut. More information here.

Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022

Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm PST

Tickets: $25

For information about Westland and to purchase these distillery-exclusive expressions, please visit www.westlanddistillery.com. High-resolution images and limited-quantity samples are available upon request.

‍About Westland Distillery 

Founded in 2010 and acquired by Remy-Cointreau in 2017, Seattle’s Westland Distillery brings a new and uniquely American voice to the world of single malt whiskey by exploring possibilities that have been ignored for generations. Along the way, Westland has been recognized as the country’s leading producer of American Single Malt Whiskey and founded the formal establishment of the emerging American Single Malt Whiskey category by starting the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission. While the distillery uses the same basic ingredients and processes used for centuries by traditional Old World single malt producers, it does not simply seek to replicate the results of its Scottish predecessors. Instead, Westland works to create whiskies that reflect the distinct qualities of its time, place, and culture in the Pacific Northwest. All of Westland’s expressions are distilled at the Seattle distillery from 100% malted barley and fermented with a unique Belgian Saison brewer’s yeast before maturing in one of a variety of cask types, including new American oak, ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry, and Garry Oak, to name a few.