For a taste of luxury on 28th November indulge in a bottle of Westland American Single Malt Whiskey. Peter Morrell tastes the spirit of America

Several American traditions like Halloween have made their way to the U.K., and not far behind is the celebration of Thanksgiving. The first recorded Thanksgiving was in the Commonwealth of Virginia way back in 1619, so it is an event with a long and rich history and is akin to Harvest Festival.

Fine food and drinks are essential for the occasion and feature dishes like turkey and pumpkin pie. Drinkwise, a high-quality U.S. whiskey is a must, and I have found one that is just right, the Westland American Single Malt Whiskey.

The Westland American Single Malt Whiskey is brewed in the Pacific Northwest’s city of Seattle from grains produced in the region. I’ve recently tasted the whiskey, and just of the record used the Glencairn tasting glass. The whiskey is aged for a minimum of 40 months in a range of new and used oak barrels from the USA and Spain, and half a dozen malts are used during production. Bottling strength is 46%, which is higher than the average

The whiskey pours a distinctive copper colour and as the nose develops it creates a pot pourri of aromas. There are powerful tones of vanilla, caramel, nuts, cream and maple. As the whiskey moves to the palate there is an explosion of complex sweet and savoury flavours. There are strong notes of oak, pepper, toasted English muffins with butter, warming spices, supported by a floral background.

The enduring theme on both the nose and the palate is malt, and this remains in the long, persistent finish, which also offers touches of spice and caramel.

This is pleasing and enjoyable whiskey drinking experience, it’s the real spirit of Thanksgiving.

If you want to add a festive twist to the Westland American Single Malt Whiskey then use it as the base for a Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour cocktail.

To make this comforting cocktail put a generous handful of ice in a cocktail shaker, add 50ml of Westland American Single Malt Whiskey. 20ml of fresh lemon juice, 15ml of sugar syrup, 15 maple syrup and a large pinch of ground cinnamon. Shake for 20 seconds and then strain into an ice filled whiskey glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon and twist of lemon peel.

The Westland American Single Malt Whiskey is widely available from Amazon and other good spirit merchants in the U.K.