Westward master blender departs
After 13 years at Westward Whiskey, master blender Miles Munroe has left the company to start his own brand, Grimoire Spirits.
Westward Whiskey’s home, House Spirits Distillery in Portland, Oregon, was founded in 2004. Munroe joined the company in 2013.
His departure comes after a challenging period for the company, as Westward Whiskey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2025. A group of private investors rescued it from bankruptcy last October, allowing the business to restructure.
During his 13-year tenure at Westward, Munroe oversaw the brand’s flagship releases, cask experiments, and special editions, including Milestone and Double Dark.
Munroe commented: “Looking back on 13 years with Westward, I’m proud of my accomplishments there. Helping to pioneer a new category of American whiskey meant the world to me, and the innovation I brought to the Whiskey Club there helped push the whiskey category into a new era.
“It’s time now to begin the next chapter of my career, and what comes next will build on these past accomplishments.”
With his new venture, Grimoire Spirits, and the members-only Grimoire Whiskey Society, Munroe will continue creating whiskey blends and small batch releases.
“Grimoire Spirits is a notion that has been slowly forming for quite a while, maybe longer than I’ve realised,” he explained. “Years of restyling how flavours come together, with a reverence for balance and depth, have led me to conjure up this new venture. This gives me the chance to blend with complete freedom and to explore an unlimited world of cask combinations uncovered from some of my favourite places.”
According to Munroe, Grimoire debuts with a customised whiskey club designed for enthusiasts who want to explore whiskey blends in depth.
The club will offer releases that aim to provide deeper insights into spirits.
He continued: “Grimoire Whiskey Club wants its members to come along for the journey, digging deeper and having a great time along the way. Further down the line, Grimoire Spirits will also venture into a range of other old-world spirits to exhume more casks and apply my blending style there as well.
“Stay tuned, stay intrigued, and join us for the ride.”
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