Zero Nine Spirits Wh03 Westland Brut de Fût 2014 (50cl, 59.9%)

A Westland single malt from Seattle, bottled by Zero Nine Spirits as batch W03h in its Steampunk Series. It was distilled in 2014 and first matured in an ex-rye cask, then moved in November 2018 to an ex-Madeira cask for a second maturation of close to five years. It was bottled in July 2023 at a cask strength of 59.9%, in a 50cl bottle, as an edition of 210 bottles. On the nose, grain and pepper from the rye cask give way to the sweetness of Madeira, with dried figs, dates, walnuts and dark chocolate. The palate brings cinnamon and clove, cooked red fruit and burnt caramel. The finish is long, moving between toasted wood and fortified wine sweetness.