TimeforWhisky.com interviews Spirit of the Craft Award winners Westward Whiskey, Launceston Distillery, Raasay Distillery & Macaloney's Distillery

We recently posted news on Facebook of a new Spirits Awards (hear us out...), the first from Asia, focusing on smaller producers around the world. "Spirit of Craft Awards" was launched in January of this year, and involves a panel of experts from Asia's bar and drinks media community.

Over three months, entries from across 15 countries – Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Scotland, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, Netherlands, and the U.S. – made their way to Singapore for judging by a panel of 36 judges in early May, with the results announced shortly after.

The full list of 2024/2025 winners can be found here, but we were lucky enough to score an interview with four of the winners, including both "3 Star" winners Isle of Raasay & Launceston Distillery, as well as Westward Distillery (whose whiskies we've covered a few times on the blog) & Macaloney Distillery. 

We wanted to understand what made their whiskies unique, the industry changes they've seen, how they engage customers in an increasingly crowded market, and any learnings they've picked up about running a distillery. So without further ado, we bring the answers from:

• Launceston Distillery Head Distiller / Production Manager - Chris Condon
• Raasay Distillery Co-Founder and Master Distiller - Alasdair Day
• Westward Distillery Master Blender - Miles Munroe; and
• Macaloney's Island Distillery President & Master wheiskymaker - Dr Graeme Macaloney

The view from Raasay Distillery's warehouse

1. There’s a lot of great whisky out there, and a lot of distilleries who’ve opened in the past 5-10 years. In a sentence of two, what makes yours stand out?

• Launceston: "We are a boutique whisky distillery, solely focussed on producing hand-crafted single malts. Our location in a restored heritage-listed aircraft hangar is an obvious point of difference. We also try to stay true to ourselves, an independent distillery that strives to consistently make high quality small batch whisky."

• Raasay: "We do everything on Raasay - using water from our well at the distillery for mashing, fermentation, cooling, cask reduction and reduction to bottling strength. We mature all of our spirits in our own warehouses and bottle everything on site, where we now employ over 40 people who live on Raasay (an island with a population of only 161!). Our community and island are a constant source of inspiration, seen in the bespoke Isle of Raasay bottles with hand printed rock and fossil formations from our complex geology. Our spirit directly reflects and truly represents the island where it is created."

• Westward: "At Westward, which is located in the heart of the American Northwest we’re beholden to whiskey, not the traditions that surround it. Westward is brewed like a Pale Ale, distilled like a Single Malt, and aged like a Bourbon. Our whiskeys are matured to perfection in Oregon, one of the most fertile barley-growing regions in the world, where our unique hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters are the ideal environment to raise a world class whiskey."

• Macaloney's: "The World Whiskies Awards (WWAs) in the UK are the most competitive in the world and conducted via blind tasting with industry-experienced judges. At these, our whisky and new-make underpinning our whiskies have won 3 'World's Best' and 8 'Category Best' gold medals. Our growing repeat sales, in Taiwan, across Europe, and elsewhere (we are interested to find a distributor for Australia) in an economic climate where Scotch sales are down, speaks to the excitement and interest in high quality whiskies with real craft provenance like ours."

Launceston Distillery

2. How have you seen the industry change in the time since you started?

• Launceston: "There has been tremendous growth in the Tasmanian industry. The number of distilleries has doubled in that time. But consumers are now more aware of Tasmanian spirits, and there has been international recognition for the quality of whisky coming from Tasmania."

• Raasay: "There have been some massive changes in the industry in Scotland since we founded R&B Distillers in July 2014. At that time there were only 90 operating distilleries in Scotland selling single malt whisky. Now there are over 150 malt and grain distilleries. There have been huge steps forward in technology since we designed our process for our Isle of Raasay distillery particularly in sustainable technology."

• Westward: "Westward began in 2004. At the time, there were just 3 dozen craft distilleries in the U.S. Today, we’re proud to be a leader among more than 3,000. With that, it means that to truly stand out you have to have a distinct point of view, excellent quality credentials, and an innovative approach."

• Macaloney's: "There has been a lot more interest in craft single malt as enthusiasts look for greater quality, yearn to understand what creates the flavours, and are interested in genuine provenance. Also connoisseurs have come to realise that quality is not tied to age and that deep complex maturation comes from best distilling practices and the best oak casks."

Westward's Miles Munroe

3. As a craft distillery, what’s the best way to engage new and potential fans?

• Launceston: "For people who are not familiar with our whisky, nothing beats giving them a taste. Therefore, award programs like SOcraft provide valuable recognition and exposure, which gives new customers the confidence to taste our whisky for the first time."

• Raasay: "We are creating experiences for all of our guests who visit our Isle of Raasay distillery. The adventure starts when you make the 25 minute ferry crossing from Sconser on Skye to the Isle of Raasay, then a short walk (and an even shorter drive) to the distillery. We have six luxury ensuite bedrooms, a restaurant, residents lounge and a bar all with amazing views looking back over the Sound of Raasay to the Cuillin Mountains on Skye. It's the perfect place to relax with a Raasay dram, gin or a cocktail and soak up the full Isle of Raasay experience!"

• Westward: "We’re lucky to have won a host of awards and accolades, including the distinction as the #5 whisky in the world by Whisky Advocate. Those major acknowledgements – and the recognition of global authorities in whisky like Dave Broom, Becky Paskin, and others — have certainly helped us discover new fans and followers. We also love sharing what it is that we do with whiskey enthusiasts and visitors to the distillery, and proudly serves as an ‘open book’ in our approach to whiskey-making. This approach to transparency – where no question is off-limits – really helps us stay engaged with our customers."

• Macaloney's: "Liquid to lips! We love to send ambassadors in to whisky clubs or into whisky stores for vertical tastings, and to festival masterclasses where enthusiasts can taste our quality and hear our story."

Macaloney Distillery tour

4. What’s your “go to” or everyday whisky from your line-up, and why? What about your “special occasion” whisky?

• Launceston: "Our tawny cask matured whisky is a great everyday whisky. It has lovely fruity aromas and flavours, a rich smooth mouthfeel, and a finish that a judge recently compared to a ‘friendly bear hug’. It sips well neat,  but also has nice complexity that works well with cocktails. On special occasions we like our peated release. It is mildly peated with sweet bourbon and tawny influences to balance the smoke. This makes it very approachable, even for people who don’t like peat."

• Raasay: "My "go to" whisky from our line-up is our signature Isle of Raasay Hebridean single malt as this represents everything we do on Raasay. 80% of our annual production is filling the casks for our unique Na Sia cask recipe - we mature 6 separate cask types and marry these together at bottling to created our lightly peated style with dark fruit flavours. My "special occasion" whisky is our fully matured Columbian Oak 'Quercus humboldtii' cask single malt. This has a depth of flavour and texture ranging from Creme brulee to oolong tea. It is very special indeed and a very unique cask type to the Scotch Whisky industry."

• Westward: "The one to always reach for is Westward Whiskey Original, this is what began the innovative journey we’re still on. Our flagship whiskey is the trunk of the tree with almost all other variations branching off from this starting point.  It envelops everything about why we do what we do at Westward in the bottle.  My special occasion pour is most certainly Westward Whiskey Milestone.  Without a doubt the most elegant single malt we’ve produced, it's a marriage of our most highly prized casks and carefully blended over years in a twenty-one barrel Solera system."

• Macaloney's: "Thats a tough question partly because there are all my babies, plus we uniquely distill 3 very different styles - Single malt, Triple distilled pot still, and Peated single malt (smoked at our distillery). Of the single malts i love the an loy because like japanese single malts it is delicate and nieuanced  but with great depth and bapanced complexity. For the triple pot still it has to be the kildara becuase it defeated 27 year old, 21 yo, 15yo and 12 yo redbreast irish whiskies to win worlds best!, And for the peated a favorite is hard to choose becuase the 15ppm an aba is delicately sherried, whereas the 27 ppm siol dugall is fantastic for its virgin and bourbon-wood influence, whereas our peat project sugar kelp infused 54ppm peated single cask is a spectacular exploration of terroir and merroir!"

Westward Distillery

5. When you were growing your distillery, which was more important - on-premise or off-premise / retail?

• Launceston: "Both cannot be overlooked, and I would suggest they are as important as each other.  On-premise allows for new consumers to try our whisky without the outlay of a bottle purchase, however the retail space needs to be considered to give the consumer the easiest path to purchase once they have enjoyed it in a bar or restaurant."

• Raasay: "All of our sales channels are very important to us. On-premise is where new and potential fans can discover our Isle of Raasay Hebridean single malt & gin, seeing our bottle stand out on the back bar and enjoy their first dram. Off-premise / retail is where fans and lovers of Isle of Raasay can acquire our spirits, satisfy their signature Raasay desires and seek out our latest special releases."

• Westward: "Great question, and this has changed of course drastically through Covid and beyond. We look for a mix of both at Westward. We’re fortunate to have many enthusiasts in the bar world who respect what we do, and that is an excellent path for consumer discovery. But we also recognize that our whiskey needs to be available for a consumer who then wants to shop for our products.."

• Macaloney's: "Off premise however i now realize our whiskies are amazing in cocktails so bars will be important going forward."

Launceston Distillery's "Angus"

6. What’s one thing you wish you knew about running a distillery before you began?

• Launceston: "Sometimes the romance of running a distillery can be very different to the reality. It can be hard work and it requires patience and perseverance. But when everything comes together after years of maturation it is well worth the effort."

• Raasay: "How difficult it can be to stay focused on our key messaging and continuously, consistently preach that key messaging to the world. "

• Westward: "With Westward, we’re always planning several years ahead. The whiskey we make today won’t see the light of day for at least half a decade (give or take), and so we are always a step ahead. That includes some of our expansion efforts – like our capacity increase we recently underwent."

• Macaloney's: "HOW HARD IT IS TO MAKE A PROFIT AFTER ALL THE COSTS AND TAXES!"

A stunning vista from Raasay Distillery

 

 

Thanks must go to Chris, Alasdair, Miles & Dr Graham for the time and answers, and to the great team at Food News Singapore for coordinating the responses & media.

Cheers,

Martin.

High West Whiskey Tasting with Brendan Coyle [Tasted #653]

Late last month, we joined Brendan Coyle, Master Distiller of High West Whiskey who had visited Australia for the first time to talk through everything High West.

Brendan's passion for the whiskey game was evident as he talked about his journey at High West which began in 2006. 

High West Distillery, located in Park City, Utah, United States, is the first legally licensed distillery in Utah since the end of the American Prohibition. It was founded in 2006 by David Perkins, a former pharmaceutical biochemist, and his wife, Jane. The distillery operates in an old livery stable dubbed “The National Garage” and in the adjacent historic Ellsworth J Beggs house, which was built in 1907.

Brendan noted that American whiskey had been somewhat stuck in its old ways, with many distilleries churning out similar products. He felt that the traditional whiskey landscape in America was slow to change, with many producers following similar methods and High West saw a chance to shake things up, by focusing on innovation and dreaming about what whiskey flavours could be, not just what they were like back in the day. This is primarily why High West is more known for blending whiskey rather than distilling it. 

This unique approach to whiskey production sees High West producing its spirits only in small batches and they are known to source whiskeys from other distilleries to produce the base components of their whiskeys, focusing on blending different grain bills and ages to create a different whiskey profiles. Brendan noted that he has taken inspiration from global spirits like Scotch and Cognac, which are known for their artful blending of young and old spirits. The result is a diverse range of flavours and styles that make up their lineup. Their American Prairies Bourbon is a blend of straight bourbon aged between 2 and 13 years.

On the night, Brendan introduced us to a few High West highlights, including the Double Rye, Double Rye Tawny, American Prairie Bourbon and High West Campfire. The latter is an interesting blend of bourbon, rye, and peated malts from an undisclosed distillery in Scotland - though not the kind of peated malt you think of and certainly not from Islay. The High West Campfire presents a mix of sweet candied, honey notes from the bourbon, a kick of cookie spices and spicy rye, and a subtle smoke. The Campfire does make for a good base for cocktail making.

High West Double Rye Tawny Port Barrel (56.1% ABV, Park City, Utah, A$TBC)

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Part of High West's Barrel Select Program, the High West Double Rye Tawny is a blend of 2-year-old MGP 95/5 rye whiskey and a 7-year-old High West rye whiskey with a mash bill of 80% rye and 20% malted barley.

Nose: The nose opens with notes of marzipan, raisins, baked (rye) spices, gingerbread like, vanilla, cherry. There's some burnt caramel, honey and light citrus notes.

Palate: The palate is gentle with rye spices, cinnamon, gingerbread. Some sweetness develops with vanilla notes and fluffy vanilla chiffon cake, there's white pepper and developing dryness

Finish: Moderately long finish, with peppery spices and dry finish

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100 (Hendy)

Cheers

Hendy

Thanks to Maven PR and High West Whiskey for having us at the High West Dinner with Brendan Coyle

Westward Dominio IV Pinot Noir, Tempranillo [Tasted #611 - #612]

Shape tasting? What is shape tasting? It's the term coined by Dominio IV's founder, Patric Reuter, to describe the pictorial representation of the aromas and flavours that unfold in time with his wines. 

Dominio IV wines, based in Mosier, Oregon is known for its syrah, tempranillo and pinot noir. Dominio IV winery is also where the method of "shape testing" was developed by Patrick Reuter. Visual presentation of tasting notes of the flavours and aromas can be seen on the labels of the Dominio IV Imagination Wine Series.

Inspired by both, the wines of Dominio IV and the visual representation of the profile of those wines - Miles Munroe, the Lead Distiller of Westward Distillery developed the Cascadia Creative Series. Dominio IV's innovative shape-tasting method was essential to the development of this new release with Patrick also painting the sensory experience from the whiskey to which his drawings are now featured on the Cascadia Creative Series boxes.

So what forms part of Westward's Cascadia Creative Series? The series will include Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Single Barrel Tempranillo Whiskey as well as a re-release of the Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Single Barrel Pinot Noir Whiskey. Both whiskies will have an ABV of 62.5% and the series has been developed exclusively for the Whisky Club.

We joined Miles Munroe for the launch of the Cascadia Creative Series here in Sydney where Miles talked through the long partnership that he's had with Dominio IV winery that culminated in the development of these expressions.

The last time Miles was down under was back in March 2019 and I got to sit down with him and spent some time getting to know him and his back story prior to joining Westward and what inspired him at Westward. Fast forward to 2022 and Miles has undoubtedly taken Westward to the next level, inspired by all the elements that make Westward what it is.

The Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Tempranillo Single Barrel at cask strength is made from scratch with Westward's original single malt. The distillation begins with a brew of an American Ale, using locally sourced two-row barley, ale yeast and a slow, low-temperature fermentation process. The whiskey is then distilled twice in custom low-reflux post stills before being matured in lightly charred American Oak barrels and finally, transferred at cask strength into an emptied Dominio IV Tempranillo French Oak Wine Casks. The whiskey is finished for an additional year before being bottled.

Head Distiller Miles Munroe noted, “The Dominio IV Tempranillo vineyard on the east of the Cascade Range produces incredibly robust grapes that match the fruit-forward flavours of Westward Whiskey. Because of this, we knew that finishing our Westward Whiskey at cask strength in their Tempranillo barrels would be the ideal flavour pairing and make for an extraordinary first expression to launch the Cascadia Creative Series in Australia."

So what's the Cascadia Creative Series like?

Westward Dominio IV Pinot Noir (62.5% ABV, NAS, Portland, Oregon, United States, A$195) 

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The re-release of the Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Pinot Noir Single Barrel at cask strength comes after an incredible response to the initial release in Australia, which previously sold out through The Whisky Club in January 2021. Another exclusive release at cask-strength, this re-release expression sees the maturation of Westward's original single malt for 19 months in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrels from Dominio IV Wines.

Nose: Fruity, loads of strawberries, orange peels with some coconut shaving, mixed with raisins, some vanillin beans, green apples and a small remnant of nutmeg.

Palate: The palate is reminiscent of a Christmas panettone cake, with raisins and some candied orange. This sweetness is then followed by lots of spices, particularly cinnamon, nutmeg and some light chilli. 

Finish: The finish is long and elegant and transitions from the spice bomb to remnants of tannin, and nougat.

Rating: 92/100 (Hendy) 

Westward Dominio IV Tempranillo (62.5% ABV, NAS, Portland, Oregon, United States, A$195) 

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The Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Tempranillo Single Barrel at cask strength sees the original Westward single malt being finished for 12 months in an emptied French Oak Dominio IV Tempranillo cask.

Nose:  The nose has layers of sticky date and sticky pudding. I can sense some crème de la crème and caramel. The sweetness is then followed with some earthy spices, clove, cinnamon, and perhaps a cinnamon donut. The nose is very dessert-like.

Palate: Those layers of sweetness ripple through the palate with notes of sticky date, burnt caramel, crème brûlée and maple-covered pancake. The spices that follow cut through the sweetness, with loads of clove and notes of cedar oak, 

Finish: The finish is dry, earthy and with some remnants of tobacco.

Rating: 92/100 (Hendy) 

I am quite impressed with both the expressions that make up the Cascadia Creative Series. Personally, I've been a fan of Westward's core single malt and seeing the culmination of the core single malt with the casks of various wine varietals has elevated the profile of their core single malt.

Thanks to Westward Whiskies and Agent 99 for having us as part of the Whisky Club preview event.

Cheers
Hendy

Westward Cask Strength Launch [Tasted #566]

We've been following Westward since it first arrived in Australia in 2019 when we first tasted the original Westward Whiskey and also have had the chance to sit down with Westward's Lead Distiller, Miles Munroe. For those that have not come across Westward prior, Westward is a whiskey distillery that is based in Portland, Oregon. Known for its hipster and craft culture, it's no surprise to see a craft single malt whiskey borne out of Portland. Since it was first introduced in 2019, the Westward following has grown locally.

Fast forward to 2022 and we were given the opportunity to welcome the latest in the Westward Whiskey collection, namely, the Westward's Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength. Thomas Mooney, Founder and CEO of Westward Whiskey noted:

“We’re thrilled to be expanding our flagship portfolio of whiskeys as we continually reimagine what single malts can be. We first introduced Cask Strength at the demand of our local Oregon fans, and since then there has been huge interest from whiskey lovers both locally and globally for quality high proof options, so we’re looking forward to having Australians be able to try our Cask Strength.”

Westward Cask Strength is the brand’s fourth permanent expression and follows the original Westward American Single Malt, Westward American Single Malt Stout Cask and the Westward American Single Malt Pinot Noir Cask. The cask strength expression draws from the original single malt distillation but it's bottled at barrel strength of 62.5% ABV (125 proof). At Time for Whisk[e]y, we are as much a big fan of cask strength as we are of all other lower ABV expressions. It is said that the cask strength expression accentuates the malted barley and the effect of the newly charred American Oak Barrels.

To celebrate the launch of the Westward Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength, a dinner was held at the nel restaurant in Sydney. Hosted by Margo Jamieson of Westward Whiskey, the dinner paired a whiskey infused menu paired with the four Westward expressions.

The star of the night was the Westward Cask Strength which was paired with the main course but the other three Westward expressions were paired amicably to the entree and dessert including a highlight for me which was the sticky toffee whiskey pudding with butterscotch dessert that was accompanied by Westward Single Malt Pinot Noir Cask as well the [gilbert] pinot noir from Orange, NSW, Australia.

So what did we think about the star of the event, the Westward Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength..

Westward American Single Malt Cask Strength (62.5%, Oregon, Seattle, United States of America, A$170) 

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The Westward American Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength is the highlight of the four Westward expressions. It has built on the original Westward Single Malt and amplifies many of the Westward flavours from sweet desserts to spices that bring out the best in Westward. This new expression is a clear winner for me.

reflects toasted almond, graham cracker, and black pepper aromas. Flavours include sesame, tobacco leaf and cacao, with a honeyed, deep fiery malt finish. 

Nose: The nose is decadent and sweet with hints of marzipan, vanilla, and fresh-cut grass? caramel popcorn, strawberries and cream or rather a strawberry jam.

Palate: The palate balances the sweetness of a good cinnamon bun, vanilla, caramel, and butterscotch with spices, nutmeg and black pepper. There is dark chilli chocolate on the palate - perhaps the cask strength providing the lovely heat. 

Finish: The finish is long, with lingering spices and chocolate and vanilla remnants.

Rating: 92/100 

Thanks to Margo Jamieson of Westward Whiskey as well as Nicole Robertson from Agent 99 for having us as part of the Westward Single Malt Cask Strength launch.

Cheers,
Hendy.

Westward - getting to know Miles Munroe, Lead Distiller (Tasted #449)

Launching last month in Australia is a new single malt 'whiskey' from the Portland, Oregon. Well known for its hipster and craft culture, it is no surprise to see a craft single malt whiskey borne out of one of the most diverse, food-centric city in the United States. As a category, American single malts are still uncommon as compared to its bourbon brethren though the category is growing, riding on the wave of the boom in scotch and new world single malt whiskies globally. According to International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR), the American single malts category grew 131% from 2014 through to 2017 which is a significant growth over a mere three years.

Craft distillation is also growing at a staggering rate in United States with different distillers driving a range of innovations to mold and shape the quality of their whisky. Miles Munroe, Westward Lead Distiller told us that Westward, like others, are continuing to explore various innovative techniques and have been given the freedom and flexibility through which they can do this in. Their latest bottling, Westward Stout Cask Finish is a result of a collaboration between Westward and various local breweries and he is also exploring cask finishes and other ways to alter the farm to table approach so as to influence the overall profile of the final whisky.

Those with keen eyes may have picked up that Westward has actually been in existence for some time. In fact, Westward has been making whiskey since Christian Krogstad, Founder of Westward founded House Spirits 15 years ago. Though the focus significantly changed in 2015 when, under the direction of current CEO and co-owner Thomas Mooney, Westward built its current Portland, Oregon distillery. Westward became the largest independent distiller of American single malt whiskey with a daily production quota of around 3,000 gallons of pale ale whiskey wash. Prior, releases have been single barrels and in smaller quantity. Facing the same challenges as smaller Australian distilleries, there was never enough barrels mature enough to blend and to supply the local and global markets. This all changed when production ramped up with the new Portland distillery.

Embracing the "farm to table, grain to glass" phenomenon worldwide, Westward is brewed and distilled using locally malted Pacific Northwest barley and ale yeast. The style takes inspiration from Portland's craft brewing culture and in fact, if you research Westward notes, it has often been said that Westward does exhibit beer like profile which makes it quite distinct though may detract some from the product. The production sees Westward double pot distilled and matured in American Oak newly charred barrels for a couple of years before being mingled in batches and bottled at 45% ABV (the ABV has remained the same since its single barrel days).

In September last year, Westward, shared similar news to another distillery with a similar name, Starward - they announced a strategic investment from Diageo via Distill Ventures; Diageo's independent spirits accelerator entity. The investment has accelerated investment in the brand, enabled capacity expansion by around 40% and allow Westward to meet its growing demand.

I sat down with Miles Munroe last month to hear more from him on the brand and what we can expect.

1. How did you become the Lead Distiller for Westward? 

As a bit of history, I've got a biology background but really I wasn' using it that much until I started managing this whisky bar in Kansas City, Missouri at the top floor of this ancient steakhouse, a classic roost there. I was given an opportunity to work with lots of single malt whiskies that I have never come across. 

Growing up in the states it was bourbon and if you wanted something nice, it was small batch bourbon so it was exciting to experience this massive collection so I decided to taste my way through. 

That's when I had this epiphany, it was something that I wanted to get involved with, to create and be part of. What struck me the most about single malt was its variability. Not only from region to region but from producer to producer, you can sense their style, technique and it's something I've ever experienced with whisky before. The whole thing actually started with Edradour, back in 2005. 

There was a lot kicking around at the time and I had this realisation on the limitless possibilities in the way you can modify barley during the malting process and how it can be handled in different ways. There are really limitless ways to create just from the one raw material. Growing up in the states, there's a lot of corn whisky and it's not something that really featured in the final spirit and this contrasts with barley where it does feature in the final spirit. That was what really kicked it off. 

The journey with Westward started when I became a brewer, going to tasting, eventually hosting tasting, talking to any brand ambassadors, reps I could find. I was reading this quote, essentially a good single malt is a beer first. If I wanted to be a great single malt maker and have something to contribute to the world of single malt,  I should become a brewer first, understand fermentation at that level, understand the nuances of the different yeast strains and what those can do as far as flavour profiles go. I went to Portland and studied at the American Brewers Guild and studied Brewing Science and Engineering and became a brewer. But the intention has always to get to distillation, single malt specifically. 

I brewed beers for a few years in Portland and worked for some great craft breweries. The idea was to brew in Portland for a while then move to Scotland, potentially Japan. But in the meantime, I started to hear about Westward. Whispers around town was about this distillery that was starting a single malt label. So obviously I was immediately fascinated and I started knocking on their door and bugging them about it and eventually I was brought on. 

It was an interesting time for Westward, they were just starting to build up the stock so they've started to bottle these half bottles, single barrel, half bottles, it was what was available at the time because we had do one barrel at a time. It wasn't an exvluexcl thing, it was what was there. 

When I was hired in March 2013, they actually hadn't turned the whisky still on since the previous October. I was brought on because of my brewing experience to help develop the flavour profile of Westward a bit more and actually produce a lot more of the spirit. At the time I was the only Production Distiller and there was a Distiller that hired me on but he had to take on operation duties so it was just me and the stills. I had no idea whether it was going to work. The Distiller that brought me on was an ex brewer, the founder, Christian Krogstad, was also an ex brewer so I knew I was in good hands. 

2. The number one challenge facing Australian whisky is the lack of supply. What are the biggest challenges you're facing at the moment? 

The first bottlings were put out six months before I was hired on. It wasn't very well known but for people that spotted it, it attracted an influx of collectors thinking it was a very exclusive thing but in fact it was our (limited) supply so we had to raise the price, almost to an absurd amount to slow down people from snatching it all up. 

We were conscious of that from the beginning, your supply needs to meet demand from the market. That's tough with whisky when you're not sourcing the spirit and when you're making it from scratch, grain to glass, that takes time, that takes money, takes patience and so I don't think we were ever short in supply as we never had overreach but over the six years that I've been there, we had fits and starts. There have been a few times where we had overreach a little bit here and there. 

I'm very thankful that I've always been trusted with the final say on when the whisky is ready. Even when we were trying to grow a little more in certain markets, in certain ways, it was up to me to decide when it was actually going to hit the bottle. Which I think is also a rarity, especially when you're talking about putting all this money into this product that just has to sit there and take time without a whole lot of revenue, without return on investment but I'm privileged to be in that position to have the final say.

On the contrary, we have also had other issue growing up as a distillery, there's this funny role reversal recently. In 2015, we built a distillery that was designed specifically to make a lot more of Westward. It was great to grow and design this facility the way we want to. The Director and I studied at the same Brewing School and we studied how to grow a distillery, the logistic and it was great to sit down and plot your dream distillery. We moved into there and started hiring more Distillers and we grew from about 4-6 barrels of whisky a month to 20 barrels a week, huge expansion. But that stock wasn't going to be ready for more years. Fast forward to early this year, there's almost a role reversal now where the stocks have been maturing for around 3 years and as of the last few months the view have changed from "when's the whisky ready, when's the whisky ready, please package more" to now where we are opening the floodgates. 

3. What do you think will be the next big thing on the whisky scene? and the American whiskey scene? 

I know what we would like to see people become more savvy, to rid of this stigma against blended whisky. In the US, we associate blended whisky with cheap Canadian whisky. There's demerit there. 

But I love what the Japanese have been doing for years now. It would be amazing to see more craft blended whisky in that (Japanese) style, some triple aged grain spirit with great old malt which makes some fantastic whisky. Because I think that's something that people, at least in the states tend to baulk at, we have access to so much whiskies and at such a low price. You can try something else, craft whiskies at a bit higher price but people get put off by it 

As far as the trend goes, and once people become familiar and shake off the idea that more age is better quality, they can then enjoy younger whisky. We are also featuring more of the raw material aspect and not age the whisky too much otherwise various elements will disappear. To see more blended style, make it more approachable, great entry whisky and you can bring the price down 

4. Without giving away any secrets, what are some of the styles or trends we might expect over the next couple of years? More finishing, more multi-cask bottlings, more single cask bottlings etc? 

We built this new distillery to build our core, our flagship. It's a lot of work to make that consistently at our scale. We get creative here and there. We're also Distillers, ex-Brewers and always keen to try something new. A couple of weeks ago we tried stout cask finish. 

We're also developing a partnership with a brewery in Oregon, Deschutes, to make a lot more of the stout cask finish bottlings. I'll be sending a couple hundred of recently empty barrels to them where they age the stock and they'll send back and as a second expression, get it outside the states and eventually outside the country and I'd love to send it here. 

Portland is in the Willamette Valley which is known for its Pinot Noir, excellent, excellent Pinot Noir and so there's plenty of winemakers and they also want to give us some of their barrels too and in the spirit of new world whisky and in the spirit of American single malt. Rather than putting our whisky in sherry or port, why not put our whisky in a local winery that is more renown. 

I find younger whisky responds a little better and again, we're so careful to not want to over oak or mask any of those grain and fermentation flavours that something a little less assertive than a sherry, something like pinot noir barrel elements, it's got a nice light toast on it, I think pairs perfectly with whisky and allow attributes to shine through without stepping all over it, like sherry flavoured whisky. we're doing some finish with some pinot 

We've also experimented here and there with 10% malted rye, 30% midnight wheat, just to see what comes out. 

As brewers, we have an idea of what the mash and fermentation are going to be like and we have a pretty good idea of what the new make is going to be like. 

We have been collaborating with other brewers around the city and around the states where we actually invite them and sit down with them to drink our whisky and rink their beer and we talk about what beer would make a good single malt. 

5. You've been with Westward, since 2013. If you had to pick one highlight moment, one moment that made you proud, what would it be? 

Highlights, I think, I have to say, the biggest highlight for me was being a part of the team to plan out and plot the new facility. Getting in there was exciting but our hands were tied financially, equipment wise, capacity - so being able to build the new facility ground up, that was incredibly exciting!

Here are my notes on the new Westward 'blended' single malt whiskey:

Westward 700mL (45% ABV, NAS, Blend, Portland, Oregon, A$129)
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Colour: Bronze

Nose: The nose is striking, rich and sharp - you can smell a bit of beer here. Honey, molasses, treacle, cinnamon scroll, oak, caramel, vanilla, orange peel, mint

Palate: The palate is soft and light with growing orange citrus note, peppermint, dark chocolate butterscotch followed by cinnamon and black pepper,

Finish:  The finish is drying, waxing, there is a subtle herbal note that  slowly disappears leaving a trickle of, fresh peppermint

Rating (on Hendy's very non-scientific scale): 91/100

Westward makes its Australian debut via an exclusive partnership with Baranows Emporium, a premium spirits distributor that has been behind the rollout of brands including Diplomatico rum, Monkey 47 gin (prior to the Pernod-Ricard takeover), and Tapatio tequila.

Thanks to Miles Munroe for travelling all the way down to Australia and sharing his stories with us. I'd also like to thank Margo Jamieson from House Spirits, the team from Barranows for inviting us.

Cheers,
Hendy.