Tag: Brian Dawson

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon Review:

reviewed 21-September-2022

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM BOURBON REVIEW:

At first glimpse, Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon (Redwood Bourbon) appears honey-like in color, making me wonder … But when the cork is popped, classic bourbon aromas waft from the bottle. There are not many herbal notes, but when tasted, warm roasted sweet corn and newly spouted rye grass along with powdered ginger and white pepper blend into a sweet rye bread treat topped with a hint of honey. While the color belies this bourbon’s age, there are plenty of woody notes to provide a solid foundation.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM VITAL STATS:
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Category: Bourbon
Region: Graton, CA
Company: Redwood Empire Distilling
Distillery: Undisclosed distilleries in California, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee
Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 21% Raw Rye, 4% Malt Barley
Barrel Char: undisclosed
Barrel entry proof: undisclosed
Age: A blend 4 to 12-year-old barrels
ABV: 45% (90 Proof)
Price: 39.95 (California, 2022)

FOR EVERY BOTTLE SOLD, WE’LL PLANT A TREE

Named for the 14th tallest tree on the planet, Pipe Dream is our first Bourbon whiskey. Pipe Dream Bourbon is made from barrels aged between four and twelve years with a high corn mash bill. Smooth and complex, it is a true sipping whiskey.
— Learn more at Redwood Empire Whiskey.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM NOSE:

Redwood Bourbon offers a classic bourbon aroma without an alcohol nip to trouble on the nose. I get light fruit tree blossoms and a hint Maraschino cherries. There are faint notes of powdered ginger and white pepper which seem to enhance aromas of fresh baked rye bread. The sweets are faint as well and present as vanilla, simple syrup, faint honey, and a hint of maple. But most prominent is light sweet oak an a bit of cedar.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM PALATE:

Redwood Bourbon tastes of warm roasted sweet corn, raw fresh grain, and newly spouted rye grass. The aromas of powdered ginger, white pepper and fresh rye bread pass to the palate. But now the sweets darken as burnt caramel and dark honey cover bitter walnuts. This is a woody bourbon as dry seasoned oak fades into toasted oak and barrel char.

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Redwood Bourbon has a silky smooth mouthfeel is simple and gentle and is easy to hold. Yet it is a little disjointed with a bit of a effervescent mouth tickle. In the Glencairn the veil breaks quickly into long clinging legs. As the legs break, droplets hang then fall into the honey colored pool leaving behind a lingering crown ring with only a few irregularly spaced drops.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM FINISH:

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon offers a warm medium length finish of drying grain, ginger and pepper with a touch of warm buttery caramel. Like noted on the nose and palate, dry seasoned and toasted oak linger with a heavy char aftertaste. When the last drops are downed, the empty Glencairn smells of light barrel char and moist sawdust.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
I am surprised at the score I awarded and I would purchase another, but only if I couldn’t find something I would rather grab.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this score.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

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Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon Review:

reviewed 12-September-2022

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON REVIEW:

Horse Soldier Bourbon Whiskey offers three varieties: Premium (high rye, matured for two years), and two wheated bourbons, Signature and Reserve. This review is for Reserve (the barrel strength offering).

I admit it, I am a bit of a push-over when it comes to bourbon with a good back story. Many times the story is a more of a marketing ploy than anything else. But not so for Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon (Horse Soldier Reserve). This is a fine wheated bourbon and one I am happy to have on my shelf. Its nose full of dried fruit tree blossoms and dark stone fruits which blend nicely with baking spices, a dark sweetness and seasoned oak. These dark notes pass to the palate and on to the finish. This bourbon is dark and soft. Bring on the next pour!

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON VITAL STATS
Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Category: Wheated Bourbon
Region: St. Petersburg, FL
Distillery*: American Freedom Distillery
*Distilled by and stored in Ohio at Middle West Spirits
Mash Bill: 70% corn (yellow dent), 20% wheat (soft red winter), 10% malted barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: nas
ABV: 61% (122 Proof)
Price: $65.85 (Montana, Summer 2022)

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON BACKSTORY

Immediately following [the 9/11] attacks on our nation, the USA responded with a daring insertion of small teams of Green Berets into northern Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance successfully overthrew Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban stronghold, with the support of these brave men. This region’s inhospitable, mountainous terrain made efforts and enemy engagements on wild Afghan horses a necessity for one Special Operations team (ODA595). Nicknamed the “Horse Soldiers”, all these brave men are honored today by America’s Response Monument overlooking “Ground Zero” in New York City. [In addition,] our bottles … are molded with World Trade Center steel.
— American Freedom Distillery

*Website notes include the following statement:
“Due to federal alcohol regulations we must leverage a third party partner for fulfilment.”
Partner Distillery: Middle West Spirits in Columbus, OH

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

Taken out of the newly opened bottle, the first one and a half ounces mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating the pours, four once review amounts went into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as we prepared this review.

Click Hannah’s review and Elora’s review to check out their thoughts for this bourbon!

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON NOSE:

Horse Soldier Reserve has a pleasant bourbony aroma. I get a potpourri of dried fruit tree blossoms and stone fruits of dark cherries, currants, plum, and soft dried prunes. As I continue to nose, I smell allspice, ginger, and white pepper along with brown sugar dusted pastry. Additional sweets come in as caramel corn, dark brown sugar, and dark molasses while the woody elements present as walnuts, sweet, fresh cut and toasted oak, with some BBQ smokey sweetness. I also sense an additional darkness in the form of musty, old leather. This bourbon is soft and dark.

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON PALATE:

My first sip of Horse Soldier Reserve has a bit of heat, and a fairly warm bite. I taste the potpourri floral notes sensed on the nose as well as the stone fruits of currants and dark plums. As I sip, baking spices of cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper mix with vanilla and sweets of dark brown sugar, and dark molasses. This bourbon tastes rich and it’s chopped and crushed walnuts blend into dry seasoned oak, toasted wood and smoky sweet barrel char. These flavors are well anchored in musty damp leather.

Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Horse Soldier Reserve is simple and gentle with good balance from nose to finish. It is viscous and oily yet can prickle the tongue. In the Glencairn, thick, evenly spaced, long-lasting clinging legs transport the liquid back to the auburn pool. Left behind is a thin ring broken by a few small droplets.

HORSE SOLDIER RESERVE BOURBON FINISH:

Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon offers a medium long soft and warm finish. As with other bourbons, I can sense roasted corn as well as the sensations of blueberry nectar and plum. Ginger and pepper warm the throat and light vanilla mix with dark brown sugar and subtle molasses flavors. As each sip is downed, seasoned oak, toasted wood and leather fade away. The empty Glencairn smells dark but fresh and is both caramelly and oaky at the same time. I look forward to the next pour.

MY RATING: 91/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
This bourbon makes me want to seek and try the other Horse Soldier offerings.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 91/100 to access Brian’s other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click American Freedom Distillery.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon
Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

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Blood Oath Pact 08 Bourbon

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Blood Oath Pact 08 Bourbon Review:

reviewed 05-September-2022

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 BOURBON REVIEW:

While preparing for this review, I remember thinking, “Apples and Bourbon — Yes please!” I am here to say Blood Oath Pact 08 Bourbon (Blood Oath P8) delivers. Those who come looking for earthy elements of flora and wood may be a bit disappointed, but the fruit, spice and sweet components shine. I am happy to have another bottle in my bunker.

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 VITAL STATS:
Blood Oath Pact 08

Category: Barrel Finished Bourbon Blend (Finished in Calvados Casks)
Region: Sourced from undisclosed distilleries in Kentucky
Blender: John E Rempe
Producer: Lux Row Distillers
Mash Bill: unpublished
Barrels: New Charred Oak, ex-Calvados Casks
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: NAS (Includes 14 year old bourbon, 11 year old bourbon, and 8 year old bourbon)
Released: April 2022
ABV: 49.3% (98.6 Proof)
Price: $99.95 (Summer 2022, Idaho, USA)
NABCA CSC #: 87078
Price: $99.95 (Summer 2022, Idaho, USA … MSRP now $119.95)

A masterful union of three well-bred bourbons. One, a 14-year ryed bourbon. Two, an 11-year ryed bourbon. And three, and 8-year ryed bourbon finished in Calvados casks from the Normandy region of France to impart slight apple on the nose with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. With each sip, feel transported to Northern France by way of Kentucky.
— Learn more at Blood Oath Bourbon.

WHAT IS CALVADOS?

Calvados is a variety of Brandy. To claim the name of Calvados, the apple-cider (or pear) brandy must be produced within the Calvados region of Normandy, France. Calvados is aged in Sessile or Pedunculate oak barrels for a minimum of two to three years prior to marketing. Aging can be much longer with four to six years being common.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 NOSE:

The first aromas are fresh, tart apples. Then the ethanol creeps in. Blood Oath P8’s heat is a bit surprising. At 98.6 Proof, my nose is accustomed to much higher. When I breath in, roasted corn blends in as the fresh apples return, this time covered in caramel with a hint of cashew butter in the blend. With continued nosing, I sense acidic notes, but is it citrus or tart apples? As I try to decipher the pair, I smell a hint banana and baking spices of faint cinnamon, pepper, and rye along with aromas of milk chocolate and vanilla custard. The confection builds with brown sugar enhanced buttery caramel hidden in light, sweet, dry-toasted oak. What a fragrant treat.

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 PALATE:

I get a warm bite of alcohol in each sip of Blood Oath P8. As my mouth acclimates, I taste roasted corn and dusty grain along with the apple and faint banana sensed on the nose. And like in the aroma, I pick up acidic, and bitter notes. As before, I cannot decide if the flavors are citric in nature, or from tart apples. Either way, they add complexity to the pour as the baking elements of Cinnamon red hot candies, pepper and rye marry with subtle milk chocolate and light vanilla. There are notes of caramelized sugar here and soft caramels as well. The flavors are light and fresh owing to the acidity with only a minimal amount of dry, toasted oak.

Blood Oath Pact 08

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Blood Oath P8’s aromas and flavors are well balanced but for my tastes, are somewhat lacking in the flora and woody elements. Each sip is viscous and oily and gives my mouth and throat a pleasant tickle. As I enjoy the mahogany nectar, the liquid veil breaks inside the Glencairn falling in fast legs which leave behind small, widely spaced droplets.

BLOOD OATH PACT 08 FINISH:

Blood Oath Pact 08 has a medium-long throat warming finish. I feel the sensation of dusty grain and bitter citrus on my palate and taste the memory of vanilla enhanced caramel apples with a touch of cinnamon, pepper, and rye. And as these perceptions fade, dry-toasted oak drifts away leaving an empty Glencairn of vanilla and caramel infused sawdust.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 87/100 to access Brian’s other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Blood Oath.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Blood Oath Pact 08
Blood Oath Pact 08

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