REDWOOD EMPIRE BOURBON: PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME

If you’ve done any walking around a forest or wooded area in the state of California, you have probably heard the name John Muir before.  If you haven’t, he is known as the “Father of our National Forest”.  The naturalist had the foresight to know we would need to preserve American wilderness if only to protect us from ourselves.  The Redwood Forests in Northern California are thanks to Mr. Muir.

So it makes sense that when the folks at Redwood Empire were building their distillery, they wanted to honor the man who made the Redwoods possible.  That’s why all three expressions from Redwood Empire have a depiction of Mr. Muir on them, and why each is named after a tree in the Redwood Forest.  Most important, that’s why for each bottle of Redwood Empire whiskey sold, a tree gets planted through the Trees for the Future organization.

All of the whiskies that are bottled by Redwood Empire are aged for a minimum of 4 years.  The company has acquired whiskies from distilleries in Indiana and Kentucky and now are putting whiskey they have distilled in California and aged into bottle.  Soon, all whiskies in the Redwood Empire bottles will be distilled in Sonoma before being aged in wood in the Redwoods.  

There are three expressions made by Redwood Empire:  Pipe Dream Bourbon, Emerald Giant Rye and Lost Monarch Whiskey (a blend of their Bourbon and Rye).

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon Whiskey

Sonoma County, California

Named after the 14th tallest tree on the planet, this Bourbon has baking spices with dark chocolate and hints of cola spice on the finish.  A more savory style Bourbon than most, the spice notes really take the lead.  Though is this aged for a minimum of 4 years, it does have a spice quality that reminds me more of a 2-3 year old whiskey.

$34.99 per bottle

Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey

Sonoma County, California

Named after the fastest growing redwood in the world, this is a floral and expressive rye. Bold rye and anise flavors up front leads to rich notes of toffee, shortbread cookies and vanilla. The fennel from before becomes "candied" on the finish and works along with creamy vanilla flavors.

$34.99 per bottle

Redwood Empire Lost Monarch Whiskey

Sonoma County, California

Named after the world's largest coastal redwood, this blend of rye (60%) and Bourbon (40%) has floral rye notes up front that pair with hints of fennel.  Butterscotch coats the palate with soft vanilla as well.  Since Pipe Dream on its own isn’t a rich, full style of Bourbon, it isn’t too surprising that this is also a savory whiskey.

$34.99 per bottle