In brief
In a shocking heist this summer, thieves made off with $1 million worth of craft whiskey from Westland Distillery in Washington. The Skagit Valley Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft, where a fraudulent carrier took away nearly half of the distillery's first 10-year Garryana whiskey. Experts are concerned about the uniqueness of the stolen bottles and warn buyers to be cautious, as selling these rare items could be extremely difficult.
Thieves who made off with 12,000 bottles of craft whiskey in a rare U.S. liquor heist this summer did more than just snag nearly $1 million worth of product -- they also spirited away nearly half the stock of a single malt distillery that had worked for more than a decade to create.
Currently, the Skagit Valley Sheriff’s Office is investigating this incident, while whiskey aficionados are left to wonder about the whereabouts of the coveted bottles of Westland Distillery’s first 10-year Garryana whiskey.
The theft took place on July 31 when an individual using a freight truck arrived at Westland Distillery’s warehouse, presenting fraudulent paperwork that allegedly authorized them to pick up a shipment of Westland single malt, Watchpost blended, and Garryana whiskies earmarked for New Jersey. Unfortunately, the bottles never reached their destination and the “sophisticated, fraudulent carrier scheme” was uncovered a week later, according to Jason Moore, managing director of the Seattle-based distillery.
The 10th anniversary edition bottles of Garryana are irreplaceable—a point emphasized by Moore. “This is an unfortunate and pretty extraordinary situation,” he stated.
Despite their efforts, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office has not responded to inquiries from the media.
Mark Gillespie, host of the WhiskyCast podcast, noted the challenges in selling the stolen goods. “It’s going to be really hard for whoever took this to actually get this onto the market, because what they took was so rare that everybody knows about it,” he explained. He also pointed out that similar thefts have occurred in Scotland, often resulting in stolen whiskey trafficked to less scrutinized markets.
Due to the rarity and high recognition of these bottles, moving them out of the U.S. might prove difficult. With U.S. alcohol sales operating under a three-tier system, selling alcohol on the secondary market is generally illegal, making resale a significant challenge.
By contrast, in several European countries, auction houses specialize in such markets. Gillespie emphasized, “The provenance of the Garryana is important because it’s their first 10-year-old whiskey,” outlining the importance of age statements in whiskey production.
Westland’s single-malt whiskeys embody the essence of the Pacific Northwest, crafted using local grains, unique yeasts, and casks made from Quercus garryana oak. The 2023 edition of Garryana was recognized as the third best whiskey in the world by Whisky Advocate magazine and generally sells out quickly, placing additional pressure on its market value.
As Westland Distillery takes measures to fortify its supply chain, Moore remains focused on customer engagement rather than the ongoing investigation, stating, “We’re confident we’re going to share this whiskey.”
Although losing $1 million worth of stock could spell disaster for many distilleries, Gillespie believes Westland will weather this storm, especially post-acquisition by the Remy Cointreau Group in 2016. He cautioned would-be buyers: “If somebody tries to offer you a case of Westland whiskey right now, I’d call the cops.”
