Contents
The second April Fools’ release was matured in a chili pepper cask. It appears that Westland was not allowed to disclose the source of the cask, but it is largely referred to as a Tabasco these days. According to distillery employees, the cask was refilled and later purchased - but few details are publicly known.
Specifications
- Grain Bill: Washington State Select Pale Malt
- Cask Type: Chili Pepper Sauce Cask (widely believed to be a Tabasco cask)
- Maturation Time: 48 Months
Release Info
- Release Number: 0060
- Spirit Type: American Single Malt Whiskey
- Series: April Fools’ Day
- Release Name: Inferno
- Release Date: April 1, 2016
- ABV: 58.4%
- Size: 375ml
- Total Bottled: 360
From the Distillery
- “Come, repent with us. We have succumbed to a vial revenge, and now impose it upon you. Introducing Inferno, the unholy union of two disparate souls—one noble and pure, one bilious and fiery—fused by an ill-tempered devil. This is our mortal sin.”
- Tasting Notes:
- Stage I - Brined Hesitation
- Stage II - The Point Of No Return
- Stage III - Vegetal Regret
- Stage IV - Peppery Penance
- Stage V - Utter Dispair
On the Label
- “To err is human, but to dabble in creation outside the order of natural things is hubris. And so we begin our descent into the depths of our own Infern. Contained within is the vile revenge of our mortal sin. The unholy union of two disparate souls - one noble and pure, the other bilious and fiery - fused by an ill-tempered devil and now unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. We seek your absolution.”
Links
- Westland Distillery: Inferno (archive.org)
- The Whisk(e)y Wash: Cask Finishing Gone Wild: The Strangest Barrels that Ever Held Whiskey
- The Whisk(e)y Wash: From Sherry to Tabasco: How Far Can Whisky Finishing Actually Go?
- instagram: matthewhofmann - Explore the depths of our inferno
- reddit r/spicy: Ever seen THIS?
Databases
- TTB: COLA 16057001000270
- Whiskybase: Westland Inferno (WB84599)
- Whiskystats: Westland Inferno (Release No. 0060)
Reviews
Events
- April 1, 2016: Release Event
- April 5, 2023: Westland Library Tasting Series: Revisiting April Fools’
Archivist’s Notes
- “It is tricky to describe the sensations of drinking Inferno to someone who has not also tasted it. You’ve either experienced Inferno, or you haven’t. There is the spice of drinking a hot sauce combined with the fact that it drinks “hot” with a mouth feel well above the 58.4% ABV. You feel it in every part of your mouth and throat. Most of the people who tasted it at the same time as me chose not to finish their small dram of it. It’s not bad. It’s unique. I’m curious about how it would be in a cocktail - people generally suggest a Bloody Mary. Try it if you get the chance.”
