WESTWARD VINTNER’S CUVÉE
Exclusive Club Release (2024)MASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 96
AGE – NAS (5 to 6 years)
PRICE – sample bottle (normally $100)
WESTWARD MILESTONE NO.2
2024 releaseMASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 97
AGE – NAS (solera blend of multiple whiskeys)
PRICE – $266
I’ve written quite a lot about Westward and its prodigious variety of single malt releases, from wine cask finishings to experiments with accidental grain deliveries to collaborations with bakeries local to them in Portland, OR. As a distillery, Westward is adventurous and experimental. As a business, they stand firmly in the hospitality aspect of their trade. Founder Christian Krogstad drew on his diverse experiences in restaurants, breweries and wineries to establish Westward as a welcoming beacon of quality and curiosity.
Over twenty years, Westward has grown from a small Portland craft operation to a nationally recognized leader in the American Single Malt movement. I’ve enjoyed some releases more than others, of course. But I have never once been disappointed with a Westward release. Even what was for me their least appealing effort at first taste—the 2023 Two Malts, combining malted barley and rye—gradually evolved with time and air into yet another among their trademark fruity-nutty malt whiskeys, easygoing enough for pure pleasure sipping, yet complex enough to unpack and analyze if one so chooses.
So after twenty years of success, it’s no surprise Westward would release something in honor of their decades. The 2024 Milestone No.2 is that release. And it looks like a trophy:
It’s quite a creation. As their website describes it:
Milestone is raised from whiskey personally drawn by Master Blender Miles Munroe from a twenty-one barrel Solera system created exclusively for this annual offering. Used for centuries by European winemakers, the meticulous Solera method allows us to continuously age and blend some of our oldest and most precious whiskies with rare cask types, creating even more complex flavors in the process.
Each year, Westward draws just a small fraction of the whiskey for the annual Milestone release, replacing it with another unique whiskey from our barrel house. Much like the coveted idea of an ‘Infinity Bottle’, introducing new, exceptional whiskies into the Solera system while continuously blending small amounts of whiskey from one barrel into another creates an always evolving yet infinite palette of deep, complex Westward flavors.
The result of this special approach to whiskey making is that no two Milestone releases will ever be the same. With each release year, our Master Blender captures a set of unique flavors that only exist in the moment and can never be reproduced. This time capsule in a bottle reflects a distinct moment in our story, one that can never be told again.
Despite the hefty price tag, I knew I had to pick up a bottle.
Meanwhile…
…I already had a bottle of the 2024 Vintner’s Cuvée club release open, and was enjoying it thoroughly. Here the whiskeys were aged in used Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, and Pinot Noir barrels from wineries in Willamette Valley, Sonoma County, and Australia’s Margaret River wine regions.
The result is a solid Westward Single Malt, with that familiar fruity-nutty barley mixed with bitter coffee, malt, and grapefruit peel, all of it wrapped in a lovely creamy texture. Excellent, though not unusual or particularly special within the Westward oeuvre.
This is a compliment, actually, to note that a release is not “particularly special” among Westward’s innumerable releases. Westward is unwaveringly consistent. Excellent is what they do.
So when I uncorked the Milestone No.2, the specs in combination with the monumental presentation had my expectations pretty high. Would it be more than excellent?
Out of the gate, the whiskey was reserved—not necessarily a bad thing. On the nose it offered notes of rich whole cream, toffee, chocolate, caramel, mocha, dark fruity barley, everything exceptionally deep and round. Then the palate was layered and dense, with toffee, malt, brazil and hazel nut, grapefruit peel bitterness, dark tropical fruits, fleshy melon, and brassy glittering spice. Altogether gorgeous.
Something about the overall restraint, however, and that the finish lingered but on a very low heat, kept me on the fence. The price tag is steep. A good portion of it must certainly go to the bespoke bottle and cork, not to mention the ornate box—which my bottle actually did not come with. (Maybe that accounts for why I paid $10 less than msrp?) Perhaps it’s my American penchant for spectacle. But when I pay an unusual lot for anything, I want an unusual lot for my money. But Westward’s Milestone No.2 is not offering spectacle. It’s more interested in substance.
Another thing I noticed is that my sense memory was taking me back to the Vintner’s Cuvée release. A comparison was in order!
So here we are, three weeks after uncorking the Vintner’s Cuvée and three days after uncorking the Milestone No.2. I’ll first taste through the one, then the other, using traditional Glencairns for each, and then do a side by side.
WESTWARD VINTNER’S CUVÉE
COLOR – murky russet orange with honeyed highlightsNOSE – classic Westward fruity-nutty malt right up front, grapefruit and lemon peel, fresh spring herbs and late-summer wildflower leaves, subtle dark coffee and toasted homemade Triscuit cracker
TASTE – very like the nose, emphasizing the darker coffee and malt notes, now with a chocolatey quality to it and a nice syrupiness to meld it all together
FINISH – a brightening plume that brings back some of the citrus and herb spices, a bit of oak tannin bitterness, then warm caramel oozes underneath it all
OVERALL – a rustic and refined Westward single malt
As with my initial impressions, this whiskey remains a standout among American single malts and yet meets what have come to be my basic expectations for a Westward Single Malt. The consistency of the barley influence provides the core experience. The rest is nuance. It’s surprising that with so many wine casks at work, their influence is not more overtly felt. In fact I might not have guessed this whiskey had been subjected to any particular wine cask aging. It’s all very well balanced, with a bit more emphasis on the spices than is perhaps usual for Westward. That could be the blend, the uptick in their usual proof from 90 to 96, or both.
WESTWARD MILESTONE NO.2
COLOR – murky russet oranges with russet honeyed highlightsNOSE – reserved but enticing and deep deep deep, with a prominent rich and fruity chocolate note, sweet cherries submerged in that chocolate, subtle refined oak, dark coffee with thickened cream, subtle bitterness like from roasted coffee beans
TASTE – so creamy and layered, with delicious nutty coffee, rich barley fruit, dark caramel and toffee
FINISH – a gentle wave of spiciness washes over the chocolate, coffee, and caramel, then soon recedes leaving a comfy warm feeling and only very subtle whiffs of the core flavors
OVERALL – an exceptionally intriguing and sensuous whiskey that comes and goes a bit too quickly
I could nose this all day. The aromas are layered and rich, and yet the restraint holds them in reserve, compelling me to come back again and again. Then on the taste, the aromas convert to flavors in wave after wave, drenching my palate. The finish is at first just as extraordinary. But it fades away a bit to soon and too much for me. I paid a lot to spend time with this whiskey. I want it to stick around a while longer.
Side by side, the colors are basically indistinguishable. If I stare long enough, the Milestone No.2 does start to seem maybe a notch more vibrant, even though its highlights when I turn the glass in the light come off more russet than those of the Vintner’s Cuvée.
Nosing them, both the connection and difference are immediately clear. They’re siblings for sure. Both complex. Both with rustic and orchardy qualities to their barley notes. But the Milestone No.2 has that distinct fruity chocolate note that really dominates, almost seeming to have a tangible syrupy texture to it despite being an aroma. This in turn points up a certain dry bitter aspect in the Vintner’s Cuvée. Both are enjoyable. But the Milestone No.2 captures my attention and doesn’t let go.
Tasting them back to back, the experience is similar to the nose. Both are excellent. The Milestone No.2 has that extra depth and more layers unfolding. But then on the finish, the Vintner’s Cuvée sticks around much longer. Perhaps it’s the comparative brightness that causes the Vintner’s Cuvée to fade over a longer period of time. The darker Milestone No.2, however, has that thick creamy texture, and I would think that would keep it around longer.
There’s no winner or loser here. They’re both exceptional. And from a consumer perspective, where the cost to experience ratio is key, I’m not sure exactly what to say. At $100, a very standard price for Westward’s club releases, the Vintner’s Cuvée offers admirable quality and complexity far beyond many other American single malts. I’ve paid more for scotch that offered less to savor. But $100 is $100, and that’s my electric bill or a couple bags of groceries. The Milestone No.2 certainly offers complexity, and remarkable depth. The alluring nose is ultimately beyond words and the taste is truly a sensual experience. At $250, however, the short finish gives me the sense of having shelled out for a famous, seasoned rock star who then only plays an hour set.
I don’t regret buying the Milestone No.2. It was inevitable that I would. Sticking with the rock star analogy, fans are in it for the long haul and we willingly pay our dues. But it’s not the kind of purchase I can make, or stomach, often. As for the $100 club releases, Westward has generously provided me with a sample bottle and this means I can comment without the money aspect being visceral. But I buy enough whiskey to know what $100 is worth to me as a whiskey fan, and the occasional Westward club release is worth it.
That’s the money. The whiskey? It’s great. I hope you get to try both of these. If not, try anything else Westward has to offer. It will be good.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 