About Us
For nearly two decades, we have brought something new, different, and relevant to whiskey, and we are proud to serve as a leading voice for American Single Malt.
Our Process
At Westward, there are no shortcuts, and therein lies the beauty. We pursue perfection by creating flavor in every step of our long, slow process.
Brewing.
We begin by brewing an artisanal American Ale from scratch, using locally malted barley, ale yeast, and a slow, low temperature fermentation.
Distillation.
We distill twice in custom low-reflux pot stills that we designed to create a robust spirit, and transform our fresh, flavorful Ale into whiskey.
Maturation.
We mature to perfection in new, lightly charred American Oak barrels selected to accentuate the bold characteristics of our whiskey.
Mingling.
We mingle our barrels in small batches to achieve Westward’s signature flavor profile – balanced and bold.
Previous Special Release Whiskey
WESTWARD AMERICAN SINGLE MALT OREGON TEMPRANILLO CASK
This exclusive release draws inspiration from both Oregon’s winemaking and brewing traditions. Like each of our small batch exclusive releases, it’s bound to be a collector’s item. Westward American Single Malt Oregon Tempranillo Cask is made from scratch at our Portland distillery using Pacific Northwest two-row barley, brewed with American pale ale yeast for outstanding flavor, double pot distilled for exceptional character, and matured in 2-char, kiln dried 53-gallon new American oak barrels. Once fully matured, we finish our whiskey for eight months in a puncheon that previously held Tempranillo wine from Dominio IV, a leading biodynamic winemaker from the Willamette Valley.
Previous Special Release Whiskey
WESTWARD AMERICAN SINGLE MALT “KEN FORKISH SOURDOUGH” WHISKEY
This unexpected and delicious expression of Westward whiskey is a collaboration with James Beard Award-winning baker Ken Forkish, and it’s certainly our most creative release to date. Westward American Single Malt “Ken Forkish Sourdough” whiskey is made from scratch using Northwest two-row malted barley and Forkish’s sourdough levain, a blend of wild and local yeast. Head Distiller Miles Munroe propagated the starter with 30 gallons of whiskey wash for one week before fermenting for 13 days – by far our longest and most challenging ferment to date – then pot distilled twice. Notably, Miles cites this batch as the most flavorful, fruity new make we’ve ever produced. This whiskey then matured in 2-char, kiln dried 53-gallon new American oak barrels for just over three years.
Previous Special Release Whiskey
WESTWARD AMERICAN SINGLE MALT PINOT NOIR CASK FINISH
Westward is a whiskey of the elements, born from the culture, climate, and abundant resources of the American Northwest. Oregon’s legendary winemakers – and in particular, the producers Westward is lucky enough to partner with – share those very same sentiments, and no one embraces this notion more deeply than winemakers Greg & Melissa McLellan at Suzor Wines. Like Westward, Suzor strives to create wines that reflect the vivacity and authenticity of the vineyards they source from. Together with the team at Flaviar, we have worked to create a Pinot-finished blend that expresses the winemaking talent of the Willamette Valley but still allows the bold, robust notes of Westward’s whiskey to shine.
Previous Special Release Whiskey
WESTWARD AMERICAN SINGLE MALT PHAEDRUS IPA CASK
This whiskey-soaked celebration of the Northwest’s legendary brewing culture is inspired by our passion for both brewing and distilling and celebrates our cask-trading tradition with the Pacific Northwest’s most prized breweries. Since we began making whiskey more than a decade ago, we have proudly traded our freshly-emptied Westward barrels with a select group of beer producers in the Northwest, who in turn have used them to age Stouts, Porters, and IPAs before passing them back over to our distilling team for innovative and distinct whiskey-finishing projects. Many of their Westward soaked offerings have become cult favorites among beer aficionados, and Culmination’s Phaedrus IPA is a shiny example of that tradition in practice. Fittingly named for Phaedrus, an ancient Athenian aristocrat embodying fecundity, this IPA is created from five flavorful types of hops
Previous Special Release Whiskey
WESTWARD AMERICAN TWO MALTS WHISKEY
The second official selection for our whiskey club pays homage to one of America’s revered whiskey grains: rye. Utilizing a small, bold selection of malted rye along with two-row, pale-malted barley (the backbone of all our whiskey offerings), you’ll enjoy a spirit that blends Westward’s signature flavor profile – balanced and bold, with just the right amount of spice and sweetness – with an added warmth, making it unlike any other whiskey. American Two Malts was created by brewing a delicious American pale ale, from scratch, using American Ale Yeast 001. The beer was then distilled twice in our custom pot stills to create a bold, robust spirit. It was aged in two #2 char and two #3 char 53-gallon, new American Oak barrels, then married in a neutral oak cask for one week before bottling.
Serving Suggestions
Westward is best enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or in a classic cocktail, like the Old Fashioned.