SKAGIT COUNTY, WA (AP) – An investigation is underway after thieves made off with 12,000 bottles of craft whiskey from a Skagit County distillery.
The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office says that nearly $1 million worth of Westland Distillery’s 10-year Garryana whiskey was taken on July 31.
Someone in a freight truck showed up at their Burlington warehouse, holding the paperwork that purportedly gave them the right to pick up a shipment bound for New Jersey.
But the bottles never arrived at their intended destination, and the scheme was discovered a week later.
The 10th anniversary edition bottles of Garryana are irreplaceable.
The single-malt whisky features locally produced grains, peat harvested from an Olympic peninsula bog and a specific type of yeast selected to bring out regional flavors.
The Garryana is then aged in casks made from the Quercus garryana oak tree, which grows primarily in the Pacific Northwest.
The limited-edition whiskey regularly wins awards, and the 2023 edition was named the third best whiskey in the world by Whisky Advocate magazine.
Westland Distillery has taken additional steps to protect its supply chain, adding that they are focusing on serving customers instead of the investigation.
