Leading American Single Malt Whiskey Producer Meets the Required Social & Environmental Targets to Become a Certified B Corporation & Be a Force for Good
SEATTLE, WA Feb. 13, 2024 Already one of the original leading American Single Malt Whiskey producers, Westland Distillery announces today another proud achievement: earning B Corp™ Certification, which demands adhering to the highest levels of social and environmental performance, public transparency and accountability.
Administered by the nonprofit B Lab, B Corp™ certification puts Westland within a global community of for-profit leaders pledging to use business as a force for good – making decisions based on their positive impact on people and the planet. To become a Certified B Corporation, companies undergo a rigorous review of the impact of their operations and business model on their workers, customers, communities and environment, and must meet a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment.
"Achieving B Corp status has been central to Westland's mission since its inception," says Jason Moore, Westland Distillery's Managing Director. "When we speak of being 'thoughtfully made,' we don't just mean our award-winning single malts. We strive to be thoughtful throughout every aspect of our business, which is why the entire Westland team is so immensely proud to achieve this incredible milestone."
Central pillars of the B Corp verification process evaluate such tenets as transparency; the health, wellness and safety of workers; customer satisfaction; environmental impact, and relationships with local suppliers.
"Knowing our farmers and grain breeders directly, plus our work with Washington State University's Bread Lab, are critical to our success with our community and our resulting whiskies," says Master Distiller Tyler Pederson, who oversees the creation of Westland's Flagship American Single Malt Whiskey and the Outpost Range of limited edition single malts – Garryana, which showcases the Pacific Northwest's rare indigenous oak Quercus Garryana; Colere, which showcases local barley varieties source through local farmers, and Solum, which is the first nationally released American whiskey peated with American peat.
"Pioneering the use of American peat, working to preserve and replant Quercus Garryana oak trees, and achieving Energy Star certification are just some of the steps we've taken in our comprehensive approach to sustainable practices," says Pederson. Westland invests in technology that ensures optimal environmental impact throughout the production process, such as employing a cooling tower to recycle water for condensers and thereby reduce water waste.
"Westland is an open book when it comes to transparency," says Moore. "We find that sharing as much information about sourcing and production as possible – especially with our whiskey releases – is what sets us apart." This sharing philosophy is central to the Tasting Room visitor experience at Westland in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, where guests receive comprehensive information on every aspect of the Westland story in addition to tasting their award-winning American single malts.
For information about Westland, please visit www.westlanddistillery.com.
About Westland Distillery
Founded in 2010 and acquired by Remy-Cointreau in 2017, Seattle's Westland Distillery brings a new and uniquely American voice to the world of single malt whiskey by exploring possibilities that have been ignored for generations. Along the way, Westland has been recognized as the country's leading producer of American Single Malt Whiskey and founded the formal establishment of the emerging American Single Malt Whiskey category by starting the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission. While the distillery uses the same basic ingredients and processes used for centuries by traditional Old World single malt producers, it doesn't simply seek to replicate the results of its Scottish predecessors. Instead, Westland works to create whiskies that reflect the distinct qualities of its time, place and culture in the Pacific Northwest. All of Westland's expressions are distilled at the Seattle distillery from 100% malted barley and fermented with a unique Belgian Saison brewer's yeast before maturing in one of a variety of cask types, including new American oak, ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry, and Garry Oak, to name a few. Westland achieved Energy Star Certification in 2023 and B Corp Certification in 2024.
About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the Best for the World® and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. B Lab drives this systemic change by:
- Building a global community of Certified B Corporations who meet the highest standards of verified, overall social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability
- Promoting Mission Alignment using innovative corporate structures like the benefit corporation to align the interests of business with those of society and to help high impact businesses be built to last
- Helping tens of thousands of businesses, investors, and institutions Measure What Matters, by using the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics to manage their impact -- and the impact of the businesses with whom they work -- with as much rigor as their profits
- Inspiring millions to join the movement through compelling storytelling through the digital platform B the Change: Bthechange.com
To learn more, visit www.bcorporation.net.
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