Westland Distillery

Amazing tour experience. One of a kind.

This review is for Westland Distillery as a whole, but mainly as a wedding venue.
We got married at Westland in March 2016, and we knew from our first interaction with Phoebe that we were in good hands. Little did we know that they would go above and beyond to make our special day incredibly seamless, out-​of-​this-​world, and just flat out perfect.
The venue itself is absolutely stunning, so we didn’t feel the need to add much décor. Simple touches like greenery, LED candles, and balloons only added to the splendor of this already gorgeous place.
Looking back on our wedding, we feel such a deep sense of warmth — not only from the company of our friends and family and the love they poured out to us, but from this remarkable place we were so fortunate to express our love to each other.
Thank you for everything. It would be impossible to forget what you helped us create that day, and we will always think back with full hearts.
xx Jodi & Jonny

We were at Seapine having a couple of beers and one of the guys working suggested we try this place. Glad we did! My husband and I are not big whiskey drinkers so we wouldn’t have normally come to a whiskey distillery. We chose to do the whiskey flight so we could get a sample of what they have to offer. The staff was EXCELLENT. So passionate about what they do and so informative. They really made the experience a great one for us. We ended up buying the Sherry wood and the little bottle that you can hand fill yourself which was a cool thing for my husband and I. We would definitely recommend this place!

This was the highlight of our visit to Seattle. Andrew gave us a tour of the facility along with many liberally poured samples of their whiskey. He clearly was not concerned with keeping these pours light to save money; he wanted us to enjoy our experience and we did. Andrew clearly loves what he does and he is passionate about his craft. It was only at the end of our tour, and due to a direct question, that we learned that Andrew is the CEO of the company. He stayed late and gave us an extended tour of the facility simply because he loves what he does. If you are on the fence about stopping here for a tour take my advice and go for it. You will not be disappointed.

Great american single malt! been my favorite for a little over a year now. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Impressive tour as well. Tasting room!!!

After having spent Thanksgiving weekend with the in-​laws up in Port Angeles/​Sequim, I needed a stiff drink…
Ok, not really (Thanksgiving was great, and the Seahawks beat the Steelers, so all was good). But, we knew we were going to have time to kill before our flight back home, so what to do that was new and different for us in Seattle? As it happens, we are on quite the whiskey kick lately, so hubby perused Unilocal Seattle and found Westland Distillery that dealt in JUST whiskey. Plenty of other distilleries (who knew SEA had so many distilleries?), but many had gin and vodka, which was not up our alley.
Anyway, hubby zero’d in on Weslland, which we found quite easily. Street parking was a breeze, but then again we were there on a Tuesday at 4pm. When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by all the staff there. We didn’t ask for a tour, knowing we hadn’t booked one, but we did get walked around back where the huge distilling machines and barrel room was located and got to walk through with the accompanying history being relayed to us by Jim. Cool!
Then we sat down at the tasting bar and settled in for our whiskey tastings, four in all, and all excellent. First was their award-​winning single malt, which we just saw was rated as one of the best whiskeys this year in Wine Spectator. Smooth and delicious.
Second was a take on the first whiskey, but these were held and aged longer by the brewers. Hubby loved it, as did I, but I had to add a little water to it to smoothe it out for my palette. Still, great stuff.
Third was both our fave… the sherrywood. Damn, that stuff was GOOD! So smoothe and flavorful. Yum!
Last but not least was the peated whiskey. Now, apparently, this is a «love it or hate it» whiskey, due to the unique flavor and aroma you get from using the peating process. We got to smell the peated malt, and it seriously smelled like a campfire. Then, when you get that whiskey in your glass, you can smell the smokiness, which follows right through being able to taste the smokey whiskey. Now, I don’t really like smoked turkey or smoked ham, so I thought I wouldn’t like it. But, one sip and I was hooked. Great stuff!
Sadly, since we were heading to the airport and couldn’t pack and whiskey, we had to leave without buying a bottle or two. And, being down in CA, we can’t have Westland ship to us. However, we did find the single malt (first one we tasted) and the peated whiskey here in SacTown at Total Wine & More. We were told, however, by our awesome whiskey wizard Jim, that there are distributors in the Bay Area who would also have the sherrywood whiskey, which is really what we want. So I see a trip to the Bay Area (K&L?) in our future.
Oh, and next year, when we head up to WA for the in-law’s trip, we will stop at Westland Distillery FIRST and pick up our bottle of single malt, which will no doubt help to make the season bright :)

Good god, this place rules.
It’s not just about whether you’re into spirits or you’re trying to learn more about whisky or local spirits. I mean, they’ve got all of that covered, but it’s the customer service and the atmosphere that’s winning so hard here.
You can visit tasting rooms, you can be loyal to local, but here you get the whole shebang.
I came with a friend a few weeks back and we spent a ton of time here enjoying every little bit of the experience here. We shared a tasting (as per the solid recommendation of the staff) and enjoyed everything a great deal. See, you can get your own tasting but depending on how much you want to try, it can end up being quite a lot to drink in a short (ish) period of time. Especially because we’d mentioned going to a nearby event and drinking more later. So thanks to the advice we received, we split a tasting and ended up consuming a few oz each. Enough for a couple drinks. Had we gotten our own tastings, we’d have been blitzed after going to the party later and drinking more. So be advised that you don’t need much here to enjoy yourself! They also provide water, so that’s good.
In the tasting room you can walk around and see various artifacts, check out displays, and take a seat in a soft seating area (a couple big chairs/​sofas) or sit at this big industrial communal table. We opted to be sociable and sit at the big table.
Over the course of an hour or so –we weren’t rushed at all– we tried 4 different products. Everything was outstanding and the presentation was great as well. The explanation of everything was useful and even though the tasting room happened to be slammed, staff still made time to interact authentically with each group of guests. Certainly one of the better distillery tours I’ve been to in Seattle.

My friend and I need some time to waste as we were waiting for an event to started near-​by in the neighborhood, and we decided to roam on in here to check this place out. I’m curious to learn more about whiskey, and my friend enjoys her whiskey as well. Coming in here, the place is inviting, it does have a smell of peaty or earthiness to it, as there’s a tasting room to what appears to be next door to the distillery. Roaming around, we got a couple of seats at the communal table, and Rachel, hostess for the night offered us a flight of whiskey to try. Rachel, which I believe is one of the distillers (if that’s the correct title?) and in my opinion; she is quite knowledgeable and passionate about her craft. She did explain all of the various notes and flavors which whiskey has to offer, and I’m looking at a card which displays all of the flavors which can be tasted, such as coffee, banana, caramel to name a few. One of the whiskey’s I tried was one that was very peaty, which I believe is the best, I wish I could remember the name. It’s an excuse to go back there, and find that bottle.
Both my friend and I did enjoy our flight of whiskey, and Rachel is a great person to get to know better with her craft. Looking around the venue itself, does feature a lot of worn (or what appears to be reclaimed) wood for the walls, and oak barrels, and a library of books. One thing that caught my eye was that they had something from 1921, a hand held flamethrower which appears to hold about 500ml of fluid. I bet this flamethrower was used to light the fires underneath a still to get the fuel burning.
In any case, I highly recommend going to this place to learn more about whiskey, or is a place to start the evening before moving onto other events in the SODO area.
Parking wise, there is limited parking in the front, I didn’t see any paid lots in the area (although we took a fore-​hire transport to get here).
Bathrooms were clean, and bright, it was highly contrasting compared to the lounging area, with a couple of couches, communal tables, and a bar.

This is one of the best distillery tours I’ve been on. This is for serious whisky drinkers and those interested in good whisky. The tour is very informative and comprehensive. You get a great history of whisky and an explanation of how it is made.
The tasting is about three of the main whiskies plus a possible fourth single cask tasting if you’re nice. The establishment is gorgeous. Everyone working is very nice and helpful.
I highly recommend stopping if in Seattle.

You want a spirited tasting? Then you need to stop here! A local place, they have a full experience awaiting you in the introduction of their beverages, how they distill them and their history, to you. A wonderful staff ties the knot for a perfect tasting experience.

Westland Distillery is a single malt whiskey distillery located in the SoDo (South of Downtown) neighborhood of Seattle’s Industrial District. Our group stopped by this distillery to take a tour and participate in a whiskey tasting. It was arranged by our tour operator, Seattle Wine Tours.
Westland Distillery offers tours four times a day, Wednesday through Saturday. We went on a Friday afternoon tour at 2pm. The tour and tasting lasted over an hour.
This looks to be a relatively young distillery. I can’t recall if the tour guide told us when Westland was founded, but I believe the owner (s) are young (in their 20s). The business’ lobby and tasting room look industrial, yet stylish and modern, like they’ve been lifted from the pages of a magazine. The distillery itself feels small (though I don’t have much to compare it to) at 13,000 square feet. Tours of the distillery take place while staff is on the floor working, so you really get an up-​close and personal view of the production facility in action.
The first thing that hit our group upon entering the facility was the smell. One of the guys on our tour had to sit out of the Westland stop because the smell was too much for him to bear. He waited outside over an hour. I’m not sure if the distillery is supposed to smell like that or if they were having ventilation problems. The aroma coming from the factory was heavy and thick. We were told it was extremely dangerous to light a match inside due to the flammability and possibility of explosion — I wonder if it had to do with the gas/​fumes we were smelling.
I forget the name of our tour guide, but he seemed to be in his 20s and sported short hair, a beard, and glasses. I’m not sure that description helps much because I saw multiple male employees sporting beards. He seemed very enthusiastic about his job, whiskey, and Westland Distillery. He told us more than we ever wanted to know and encouraged questions and engagement. The tour did seem a bit longwinded and I know our Seattle Wine Tours was having a challenging time trying to keep us on schedule.
I know next to nothing about whiskey so I found the tour to be educating, though I must admit I zoned out on several occasions especially when our guide got overly scientific. I wasn’t interested in hearing chemistry lessons. In total, our Westland tour group consisted of about 15 folks. We started off in the cask room and worked our way to the mash processing area, fermentation vessels, and stills.
Between the cask room and the malt area, we got to taste five different kinds of malted barley grains. I thought it was neat how those grains combined with water in the mashing process to eventually become whiskey. We got to look inside one of the active mash tuns with the mash rake still spinning. I thought that was cool.
Our guide told us that Westland plans to make a whiskey in which every ingredient including the wood the cask is made from originates from the state of Washington. I think it would become the first ever whiskey 100% sourced and produced in the state.
The final stop on our tour was the still room where the wash still (7,560 liters) and the spirit still (5,670 liters) were located. Our guide compared the apparatuses to the worlds of Jules Verne and steampunk and he wasn’t wrong. The temperature inside the still room was uncomfortably hot. Several of us had to step off the elevated platform before the guide was done talking.
After our tour concluded, we took seats at a long communal table in the tasting area. Our guide poured us samples from various bottles of Westland whiskies. There was a glass jar with peat on the table so we could see and smell firsthand the peat that goes into their peated malt whiskey. In addition to buying bottles of whiskey at the store, we had the option to hand-​fill our own bottles of whiskey which were then corked, numbered, and labeled individually. You can only do this at the distillery.
In the end, I thought the folks were nice and I enjoyed my visit.

We took a tour of the distillery, and I can say without a doubt, it was the most informative, interesting tour I’ve ever experienced! Our host Rachel was supremely knowledgable and personable. We learned so much about the distilling process, really fascinating!
Highly recommended and let’s not forget, these guys make some really great whiskey! We were able to taste many different types of whiskey, and even different barley malts. It was an amazing experience!

Excellent young distillery in the SODO area of Seattle. It’s across from Ghostfish Brewing. I walked in here on a whim with a date and was disappointed to hear that we couldn’t get on a tour. Bummer. We just looked around and ended up sitting at the counter. Free samples of 4 of their whiskeys! I really enjoyed the small bottle batch that they had. Totally tasted like chocolate chip cookies. It was very informative and next time I’m definitely going to book a tour!

Free whiskey tasting! My husband and I were visiting Seattle, and we chanced upon this gem while exploring the city. As you walk in to this big open converted factory-​feel space, a very cute dog greets you and the enthusiastic staff offer you a seat to take part of some of their whiskey. Why yes, thank you. Don’t mind if I do.
Each of the four whiskey options were terrific. Can’t go wrong with the flagship, sherry, peated, or single cask. Each whiskey was complex and unique. Add a drop of water to open up the flavor – even better. Each of the staff members are extremely friendly and so knowledgeable.
We went on a tour with Jim Stephens, the retail manager. He was such an engaging and informative tour guide. Learned a lot and had a great time. Highly recommend this place!

Westland, you’ve spoiled me. I was NEVER one of those people who could sip straight whiskey… and now here I am, tasting like a boss. But, I digress. I wanted to give my husband an epic anniversary gift. I Unilocaled/​googled Washington state whiskey and Westland popped right up. I emailed Westland and Jim got right back to me to let me know that our private tour was all set. We arrived and the tour was flawless. You could really see the passion shine through; everyone we ran into loved talking about the distillery and whiskey in general. We hung out there for almost 3 straight hours just boozing, talking to locals, and asking questions… and then we brought home 3 bottles. Because, guess what? IT IS THAT GOOD. If you live in Seattle, consider yourself lucky and make your way down here immediately. If you don’t, know that they distribute to all 50 states. Mic drop.

I had pretty much given up on whiskey as a whole. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select or Dry Fly was my drink when I felt like whiskey, but I had usually drank scotch, however as the prices continue to rise I made the switch to keeping more bourbon in my cabinet. Then a friend told me about a new place opening in Seattle and I attended their grand opening.
The first thing I noticed that this was not like any other whiskey that I have had in the past. I have tried a bunch of local stuff and they were very good, but still not good enough for me to switch from bourbon especially when you can get great bourbon for under $ 30. Westland’s whiskey is smooth; it truly is more like bourbon than a whiskey. I just recently bought a bottle of the Sherry Wood and I would say it is better than a Macallan 12 year scotch, but not the 18 year, which I still judge all Speyside scotch against, but you are also dumping well over a $ 100 dollars. The price is about $ 60 a bottle, which you might think is steep for a whiskey, but I am telling you buy a bottle and just don’t share it because it is worth it.
The true judge of their whiskey for me was last month at my wedding. I bought a bottle and by the end of the night just about everyone came up to me asking where I bought this. Sorry east coast friends, well at least for now!
The distillery is state of the art and very nice inside. Be warned, you will not walk out without a bottle of this incredible goodness. They have definitely spent a few dollars on this place and you can taste it in the bottle. If you don’t visit the distillery you can find their product at places that have a good selection of spirits, I know Local 360 always has a few bottles of their stuff. Anyhow as a few other reviewers have said, if you like scotch or good bourbon then definitely try them out, you will not be disappointed.

My first visit to a distillery, it was so much fun. Right when you walk in, it smells amazing. It has this sweet sugary fragrance. They have free tasting on Saturday at 6pm. We were introduced to 3 different ones. It was very interesting how each of them are made. Learned a lot and the staff were nice.
They sell the variety of whiskey bottles and some clothing. Stop by if you enjoy whiskey.

They’re whiskies are fantastic. The peated is the cats pajamas, but the sherry rocks my world too. If you are in the area this is a must hit location for a tasting and a tour.

If you like whiskey please stop by Westland Distillery. Their products are absolutely to die for and they share them with you wholeheartedly. Be prepared, everything is so exquisite it’s impossible for a whiskey lover to walk out with out purchasing at $ 60+ bottle.
Every whiskey we sampled was unique and phenomenal. Even the members who didn’t like whiskey were awed by how «not burny» and tasty they were. Westland is a real distillery using local grains and crafting a daring product in an emerging market. Bravo.
Also the space is pretty enough to host a wedding or large get together in, which I was told they will oblige.

Two friends and I did a tour with Matt. We had an amazing time. It will be a fixture of any trip to Seattle from now on.
In terms of their whiskey, it is absurdly good. If you haven’t tried it, even if you think you don’t like whiskey, take sip. You are bound to be impressed.