Whiskey for the Ages Archives – Page 39 of 62

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream

Posted on 10-October-202211-October-2022 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:

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.

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:

Back to …

Brian’s Whiskey Reviews
Individual Whiskey Reviews

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Review

Posted on 10-October-202210-October-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Review

Original review written September 21, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Simple, grassy, but fairly affordable. If you like your whiskeys paying homage to the world of grain, this is a bourbon for you. It’s an easy-sipping addition to any bunker, if not a little plain. 85/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Graton, California, USA
– Distiller: Undisclosed distilleries in California, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee
– Company: Redwood Empire Distilling
– Age: a blend of 4-12 yr old bourbons
– Mash Bill: Corn=75%; Raw Rye=21%; Malted Barley=4%
– Casks: undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 45% (90 proof)
– Price: $39.95 USD in California in 2022

“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.

FOR EVERY BOTTLE SOLD, WE’LL PLANT A TREE”

Visit redwoodempirewhiskey.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with my sister Elora, along with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

This bourbon is initially striking in its contrast, though it loses it in the palate. I’d love to have Redwood Empire on a cliffside or in the waves, watching flame rivers of lava fall into the ocean, being caught in the spray all the while. This bourbon would ground you in a turbulent environment, and perhaps it’d be that environment that would bring out the best in this bourbon.

Photo by Buzz Andersen on Unsplash

NOSE:

This bourbon crosses the nose with a mellow, yet seasoned pine chased by a salted peanut. The peanuts almost seem encased in a toffee, but it’s not necessarily sweet. Much of this bourbon smells quite savory, with bay leaves, thyme, and a sprinkle of black pepper offering a steep contrast to the toffee – nearly smothering it, in fact. Further contrasts are offered in clashing of the aforementioned salt (now taking on a briny essence like an ocean) and a scorched earth component. Char from wood bark is met with the burnt sap from within, creating such a mixture, it’s absolutely captivating. The alcohol is soft – no chance of feeling a bite if you’re experienced with whiskey.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: This has an effervescence to it, feelings raspy as if I have pulled a shoot of grass across the palate.
– Balance: Heavy on the grasses and grains – a flavor I don’t mind, but it would be nice to have some extra complexity.
– Visual: Honey in color, this fades to leave behind a faint ring, but it does linger for a significantly long period of time.

– Taste: I can let this sit on my palate almost indefinitely without feeling the slightest hint of a burn. When I push it across the palate, it’s as if I’m chewing on a reed or tall blade of grass. There’s a chewy starch, coupled with some moisture that prevents the flavor from being a distinct hay. I can find rye apart from the grass that offers both a spice and freshness to this bourbon, but it doesn’t change the tone of it much. This tastes fine, but I will admit it to being a one-note wonder. Fortunately for this whiskey, it’s a good note.

Looking for more complexity, I go for the Kentucky chew, and while I find the alcohol waking up (a little), the grass/reed element is still the most potent component of this whiskey.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. I can feel the warmth of the bourbon linger, but it isn’t particularly aggressive and there aren’t many other flavors contributing.
– Between Sips: Grass, grass, and grass are found here in this pause. If I squint, there are some raisins, but they are so fleeting, they hardly count.

– No More: The mouth feel really is what makes this bourbon. It doesn’t get worse from an objective perspective; however, I am starting to long for some complexity.

The empty Glencairn is actually a bit empty in its aroma. There’s oak, but it is oak to hunt for with deep inhales and the nose shoved into the glass. For a bourbon so heavy in its earth component everywhere else, I’m surprised to find it so lacking here.

WORTH THE PRICE?

For $40, you’re not getting robbed, and I won’t have difficulty finishing this, as I do like grassy bourbons. But this is a bit simple for me to ever consider keeping it a permanent addition in the bunker (in the hypothetical situation where I could buy it any time I wanted). I *do* think it’s worth $40, but it’s not a flavor I’m constantly seeking out.

REDWOOD EMPIRE PIPE DREAM REVIEW RATING: 85/100

Click 85/100 to access other whiskeys with this rating.
Click Redwood Empire to see more whiskeys from this brand.

Back to …

Hannah’s Whiskey Reviews
Whiskey Reviews

Horse Soldier Reserve Bourbon

Posted on 18-September-202218-September-2023 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

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.

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:

Back to …

Brian’s Whiskey Reviews
Individual Whiskey Reviews