Westward Whiskey
Restaurant · Buckman
65 SE Washington St, Portland, OR 97214, USA
Highlights
Acclaimed whiskey maker offering tours, tastings & cocktail classes
Acclaimed whiskey maker offering tours, tastings & cocktail classes
"Located in the shared C-gates food court seating area, the shop offers a selection of single-malt whiskeys made with locally malted barley, available for both retail purchase and tasting." - Janey Wong
"The distillery, makers of Westward Whiskey, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 6, with the Oregonian citing "significant liquidity challenges" following low demand after the COVID-19 shutdowns. The brand grew during that period but then stalled, losing $9.8 million in 2024 (down 28 percent from the previous year), and the company is looking to restructure the business to stay open and retain employees." - Dianne de Guzman
"Westward Whiskey, founded in 2004 by Aviation co-founder Christian Krogstad, offers nearly a dozen bottlings, including a subtly vanilla single malt, meatier stout cask finish, and ultra-smooth pinot noir cask finish — with certain bottles only available to its whiskey club members. Tours are available by appointment only (each featuring a welcome cocktail and a flight at the tour’s end), but tastings are open to walk-in visitors, Mondays and Thursdays through Sundays. Portland visitors who missed Westward on their tour can grab a tasting last minute at PDX before their flight." - Nathan Williams
"Explore the home of the highest-rated American Single Malt in Portland, Oregon."
"Portland has a rich concentration of distilleries, and they've certainly made their mark on the American spirits scene. Get a sampling by heading to distillery row in Portland’s Central Eastside, where there’s an abundance of independent distilleries creating handcrafted, small-batch whiskeys, gins, liqueurs, and more. One standout is Westward, which started in 2004 and has since gained a huge following for its grain-to-glass single-malt whiskeys and other spirits. Cofounder Christian Krogstad considers every single grain that is malted, mashed, fermented, distilled, matured, and bottled. He and his team exude a true Portland maker ethos, evident in how they compliment their fellow local spirit makers. Take a tour here. It’s totally fun—and you’ll learn a ton."
