Raspberry jam | Fig jam | Blackberry | Mixed nuts | Rich barrel char | Aged leather

Cherry | Raspberry | Strawberry | Malt | Slight earthiness

Cranberry | Raspberry jam | Fig jam | Cigar leaf | Dark chocolate | Leather | Light dry oak tannins

In April 2025, Westward Whiskey made headlines following its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Then, in October 2025, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved the sale of most of Westward Whiskey’s assets to a group of private investors who financed the company during its bankruptcy process. Last month, after 13 years, master blender Miles Munroe left Westward Whiskey, who was filling a bigger role after Christian Krogstad stepped away as founder and master distiller in November 2022. During the past year and a half, Westward Whiskey has had a more low-profile approach, limiting the number of new national releases it rolled out.

In my interview with Westward Whiskey CEO Thomas Mooney, he stated one area of growth for the company was direct-to-consumer sales. Having started their own Westward Whiskey Club in 2019 for Oregon residents and expanding nationally in September 2021, it seems that is why the majority of the company’s new releases are being diverted to their whiskey club. Case in point: Reserve Pinot Noir Cask.

The original release of Westward Whiskey Pinot Noir Cask was released in 2022 at 90 proof, and we called out how approachable and dialed-in the balance of its finishing barrel was. Much like how the cask strength version took the gentle and sophisticated standard Westward Whiskey and ramped it up to 11, Reserve Pinot Noir Cask follows the same blueprint - with equally spectacular results.  

For some time, American single malts have followed a similar path to their scotch cousins: generally tempered, sophisticated, and at a 100 or below proof point. Westward Whiskey American Single Malt Cask Strength showed just how amazing high proof and more robust American single malts can be. Westward Whiskey Reserve Pinot Noir Cask is just that, resulting in a sip that is big, bold, and incredibly flavorful.

Pinot noir wine is generally known for its soft, light-to-medium body and delicate flavor profile. In a lot of ways, Westward Whiskey Reserve Pinot Noir Cask tastes like a concentrated or distilled-down version of pinot noir wine. If you love pinot noir flavors such as cherry, raspberry, strawberry, and cranberry, this features all of that and an incredibly high concentration. For anyone who has turned off American single malts for their lightness or lack of a wide range of flavor, would be overwhelmed by what Westward Whiskey offers here. With many producers moving to finished whiskeys that push the typical finish boundary times, such as Penelope’s Project X, Westward shows how this style could have major benefits to American single malts across the board.

Westward Whiskey Reserve Pinot Noir Cask is an incredible fruit-forward American single malt that is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys the style, but also for anyone who enjoys wine-finished whiskeys in general. With bold, in-your-face flavors, it's one of the best American single malts of 2026.