Strawberry cream | Raspberry | Fig Newton | Raisin | Lemon

Black currant | Cranberry | Plum | Toasted oak

Malt | Red fruit | Prune | Pine | Dry

Westward Whiskey Vintner’s Cuvée is the year’s second release in the company’s Whiskey Club. Westward prides themselves with their close relationships with vineyards and has produced a number of well-received wine finished American single malt whiskeys. The question must have arisen as to where they will go next. Taking inspiration from the wine industry where winemakers blend together various wines, styles, and varietals, Vintner’s Cuvée was born. It is a mingling of their syrah, cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo, and pinot noir finished American single malt whiskeys into a single blend.

Immediately evident from the nose, this is a red wine lover's delight. It features a beautiful aroma of strawberry cream, raspberry, and Fig Newton with a nice lemon accent. The palate lands a touch darker, with a focus on black currant, cranberry, and plum. The whiskey’s malt origin shows itself proudly in its finish, backed up with a mix of red fruit, prune, and a dash of noticeable pine. Overall, the whiskey is on the dry side as you’d expect given its emphasis on red wine finishes.

If you’re a fan of Westward’s wine finished American single malts, you’ll find a lot to love here. But note, the whiskey will be more dry than some will like, and less sweet than others may expect. It features a good intensity of flavor for its 96 proof, and I can’t help but wonder what this would taste like at cask strength. Westward Cask Strength remains one of American single malt’s hidden gems, and I hope one day they expand on it with something like Vintner’s Cuvée. However, that's not to discount what the 96 proof Vintner’s Cuvée achieves. Westward continues to push American single malts into new territory and their overall refinement and balance of their whiskeys is unmatched in the space, with Vintner’s Cuvée being proof of just that.