About Us

Our Story

Westward began in 2004 with a vision: to make a distinctive American Whiskey inspired by the American Northwest.

Though we had always deeply respected the history and tradition of whiskey- making around the world, we sought to make something entirely new and Westward Whiskey was born. At the time, there were only three dozen craft distilleries in the U.S. Today, helmed by Founder & CEO Thomas Mooney, Westward is a proud leader among more than 2,200 producers.

From humble beginnings to its impressive footprint today, creating a bold, robust, and delicious whiskey has remained the team’s true passion. For more than two decades, we’ve proudly served as a leading voice for American Whiskey.

The Westward Way

At Westward, we’re beholden to whiskey, not the traditions that surround it. This mindset -- to set whiskey free -- informs our process, where we brew like a craft ale, distill like a Single Malt, and age like a Bourbon. We pursue perfection by building flavor in every step of the way. There are no shortcuts in our long, deliberate process, and therein lies the beauty.

We believe flavor is best built in the brewing process. We begin by brewing an artisanal American Ale from scratch, using locally malted barley, ale yeast, and a slow, low temperature fermentation.

We believe distilling should amplify flavor, never remove it. We distill twice in custom low-reflux pot stills that we designed to create a robust spirit, and transform our fresh, flavorful ale into whiskey.

We believe time in the barrel should enhance our flavor but never overpower it. We mature to perfection in new, heavily toasted and lightly charred American Oak barrels selected to accentuate the bold characteristics of our whiskey.

We believe mingling best showcases the full spectrum of our complex earthy, fruity and spicy flavors. We mingle our barrels in small batches to achieve Westward’s signature flavor profile – balanced and bold.