Garryana Oak (Quercus garryana)

Quercus garryana — Pacific Northwest terrior in an oak tree

Contents

Garryana Barrels

“We must make a product that reflects the distinct character of the place we call home, the Pacific Northwest.” - Co-Founder/Former Master Distiller Matt Hofmann1

Quercus garryana is a species of white oak tree most commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. Garryana is the only native oak species in Washington, northern Oregon, and British Columbia, and it has a protected status in many areas. It is known by several names including Garryana oak, Garry oak, Oregon oak, Oregon white oak, or even Garry’s oak.12 The tree was originally named to honor Nicholas Garry, deputy governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company.3

Garryana trees grow slowly, and due to their protected status only fallen trees can be harvested. These are wild trees rather than cultivated and the wood has a low yield in terms of quality staves.456 It’s unclear exactly how far back Oregon oak has been used for barrels but it became more prominent in the modern era for wine barrels in the 1980s or 1990s, with Clear Creek using it for American single malt starting in 1994.57 The wood is known to have higher tannin levels and fewer lactones than American white oak (Quercus alba).1456

“We get molasses instead of caramel, heavy clove in place of generic baking spices, and in the place of coconut and vanilla, we have smoke, coffee grounds and a meaty savoriness.” - Co-Founder/Former Master Distiller Matt Hofmann1

Westland has sourced Garryana barrels from both Oregon Barrel Works8 and ReWine Barrels1910.As of 2026, Westland has released at least sixteen whiskies featuring Garryana maturation.

To learn more and help preserve Garryana oaks, visit the Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society.

Westland Whiskies Featuring Garryana

Additional Garryana-Aged

  1. Westland Distillery: Exploring Garry Oak ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Wikipedia: Quercus garryana ↩

  3. Oregon State University: Quercus garryana ↩

  4. Westland Distillery: Garryana, A Rare Prospect ↩ ↩2

  5. Wine-Searcher: Oregon Oak: Wooden It Be Nice? ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. The Whisk(e)y Wash: Oregon Oak: The Story Of A Regional American Whiskey Barrel ↩ ↩2

  7. Oregon Barrel Works Blog: Who the hell is Rick DeFerrari and Oregon Barrel Works anyway? ↩

  8. Whisky Advocate: The Hottest New Whiskey Oak Comes from Oregon ↩

  9. Photo of barrelhead featuring both Westland and Oregon Barrel Works logos ↩

  10. Reddit AMA: “we’re working with a Cooperage in Oregon called reWine That’s creating all our Oregon Oak barrels” ↩