Review #763 - Westward Milestone Edition No. 2
Westward's Milestone is an annual release, one of their most limited single malt whiskies; today, we have the second edition, which was bottled and released in 2024. This single malt comes with a super-premium price tag of $250, and the distillery has named this specific release "A Discovery of Spice."
Westward uses a 21 barrel Solera system for their Milestone releases; each year, more aged barrels of whisky are added to the system, and some of the whisky is taken out for bottling. They use a wide variety of cask types in this Solera, and generally, those types aren't disclosed; for this second edition, though, they hint at some use of Stout casks, Pinot Noir casks, and Rum casks. Because a variety of ages of barrels are potentially added to the system, and the Solera process should see a gradual combination of many different ages of whisky, Westward releases this single malt without an age statement.
This 2024 release has a strength of 48.5% ABV, or 97 proof; that's already a nice bump from the inaugural 2023 bottling, which had a strength of 43% ABV (86 proof). One of our main gripes with that first release was the weaker texture and flavor density; can this higher strength version amp that up?
Westward Milestone Edition No. 2
USA - Single Malt
Price: USD 250 (2024)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 48.5% ABV
Details: Bottled 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 6 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A blast of dessert notes: chocolate, caramel, mocha, and Arroz Con Leche. Cinnamon and tiramisu combine with buttery wafer cookies and more coffee notes. A rich malt note lingers behind that, and we also get interesting hints of smoked rosemary, absinthe, and quite a bit of raisin.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; tons of coffee cake and boozy chocolate cake start the palate, followed by sweet malt, cinnamon, and peppery tannins. It's quite rich and a bit syrupy-sweet overall; time brings black licorice, rum-raisin, and cardamom.
Finish: Chocolate sauce, strong espresso flavors, a lot of cinnamon and oatmeal, then creamy vanilla, soft malt, and wafers. It's quite sweet overall, but we also get notes of wood spice, pine, and a soft spirit note in the aftertaste. It grows softer in the finish, which has a medium length.
Final Note: This is a great American single malt, full of those dessert-like flavors that we've come to expect from Westward distillery, but amped up even more. The coffee and chocolate notes are especially strong in this whisky, along with a nice cinnamon spice and a malty backbone.
The texture is indeed improved from the prior edition, but it's still a little bit soft for a product with such a high cost; if we had to highlight one area for improvement, that would be it. Actually, for the third edition of Milestone in 2025, Westward has already bumped the strength up to 108.5 proof, which is a good sign, as that should lead to even more flavor density.
In terms of value, we think this is a bit below average due to that high price, but it is also one of the most flavorful American single malts that you can buy. If you're interested in digging deeper into the ASM category, especially on the premium end of things, this could be a good purchase.
Our Rating: 8.2 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.29
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
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