California is famous for its wine, but there are far fewer craft whiskey distilleries making fantastic spirits there as well. One of the best is Redwood Empire, a Northern California distillery that just announced the launch of three new whiskeys as part of its Small Lot Series.
Redwood Empire is known for sourcing and blending whiskey from other distilleries as well as producing its own distillate in-house. There have been a few batches of the latter that have caught our attention, specifically a pair of bottled-in-bond (at least four years old, exactly 100 proof) bourbon and rye expressions. The term “small lot” used for these new whiskeys is a bit ambiguous, but it’s essentially similar to “small batch” meaning a smaller amount of whiskey was produced than usual. “Each whiskey in this series is a result of meticulous attention to detail, from grain selection and distillation to barrel aging and blending,” said master distiller Jeff Duckhorn in a statement. “We are excited to see how whiskey enthusiasts and newcomers alike react to these exceptional spirits.”
The first whiskey in the Small Lot Series, Foggy Burl Single Malt Whiskey, was named after a really tall tree in Redwood National Park (you’ll notice a theme here). It’s made from a mashbill of 100 percent malted barley composed of seven different types of malt. According to the distillery, the team has been laying down one barrel of single malt per quarter over the last seven years, and this release is a blend of 27 of those casks. It’s bottled at 94 proof, and has notes of dark chocolate and caramel. The second whiskey is called Devil’s Tower High Rye Bourbon (also named after a massive tree), made from a mashbill of 51 percent corn, 45 percent rye, 2 percent wheat, and 2 percent malted barley. It’s a blend of 25 barrels, bottled at 99 proof, and has sweet and spicy notes on the palate. The third whiskey in the trio is called Screaming Titan Wheated Bourbon (yep, another tree), but this one won’t arrive until March. The mashbill is at least 30 percent wheat, and this is the only one that has sourced whiskey in the blend.
For more information please visit https://redwoodempirewhiskey.com/