Many of the best distilleries around the world try their best to add a sense of place to their spirits. Laws Whiskey House in Colorado and Frey’s Ranch in Nevada both lean on hyper-local grain sourcing, for example, Scotland’s Highland Park in Orkney uses peat from nearby Hobbister Moor to dry a portion of its malt. For Westland Distillery in Seattle, the connection to its home region is delivered in a way nowhere else is experimenting with: through Garry oak.
Westland has been working with the Pacific Northwest species for a decade, and recently released it’s most place-driven whiskey yet with Garryana American Single Malt 10th Edition.
The Garry oak (Quercus garryana) only grows from southern British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon, and into parts of northern California. Unlike American white oak, which most of the country’s whiskey distilleries use, Garry oak imparts a wilder, spicier character with notes of clove, smoke, and earth. Westland master blender Shane Armstrong notes in a letter that it brings a specific quote from Dune to mind: “The spice extends life…expands consciousness.”
Garry oak’s density and irregular grain make it hard to cooper and expensive to source. On top of that, Garry oak forests have shrunk drastically due to agriculture and development, making sustainable harvesting essential — only about 5 percent of its original habitat remains, according to Westland.
Westland recognized its potential early on, championing it as a signature of the Pacific Northwest. I’ve tried nearly all of the Garryana series released over the years and I’ve always been impressed with how it manages to bring something new to the oversaturated shelves in liquor stores. The 10 takes that all up a notch and, if my memory serves me right, is my favorite one yet.
Photo: Westland Distillery
In this case, going local means getting something you truly can’t find anywhere else.
“There is a magic to working with an oak species unique to our region,” Armstrong, who has led the 10-year-old Garryana series from the beginning, said in a press release. “A shorthand for showcasing how Single Malt Whiskey makes sense here, from raw materials and climate to inspiration and collaboration. Each edition seeks a supporting cast to concentrate or contrast. This release, our very first to boast an age statement, represents refinement over time, a small gesture to all those tasks tallied in service of something new.”
Garry oak is notoriously difficult to work with. Unlike the groomed, predictable staves from managed forests of American white oak, Garry oak is wild, gnarled, brittle, and low-yielding. Each year’s harvest yields different challenges, different results, and a whiskey that’s different every year. Westland had to build its own supply chain from the ground up by partnering with foresters, mills, and coopers to source the wood ethically. Through these efforts, the distillery has also committed to restoration and stewardship, working to preserve and restore Garry oak habitat.
Westland’s barley is grown in Washington, distilled and aged at the Seattle distillery and in Skagit Valley, and finished in a mix of Garry oak, Pedro Ximénez, rum, and ex-bourbon casks.
The best way to experience what makes Westland’s Pacific Northwest focus so special is to go to the Seattle distillery. Visitors can immerse themselves in this regional narrative through tours, tastings, and a distillery bar. It might be harder to try this bottle at home, however. Washington gets the first allocation starting on October The already-limited release became even more rare when a truckload of Garryana 10 was stolen en route to New Jersey. Only about 4,600 bottles remain and sell for about $150. For people who love tasting the places they travel to, though, the effort is worth it.
