Review #15: Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Cask Strength

Redwood Empire is located in the heart of the Russian River Valley wine region in Northern California. It was carved out of the buildings originally housing an apple canning and processing plant owned by the Hallberg family, one of the area’s preeminent families during “West County’s” apple production heyday. The Hallbergs were known for producing a wide variety of apple products, mainly under the Redwood Empire label. Today, the facility and the climate make this the ideal place to make great whiskey.

Their Cask Strength collection brings you some of their whiskeys exactly as it came out of the barrel. So you can experience it at its full glory. Pipe Tree is named after the 14th tallest tree on the planet, Pipe Dream is their first craft 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. With the Cask Strength limited release, it's bottled at 58.4%. Up from their non-cask strength release of 45%.

The mash bill consists of 74% Corn 20% raw Rye 4.5% malt Barley 1.5% Wheat and is a blend of 4 to 12 year old Bourbon.

I've recently seen a bunch of articles and videos talking about Redwood Empire, and when I saw this at TotalWine I couldn't pass on picking up a bottle. Bourbon was the first type of whiskey that I started to enjoy when running the Whiskey Wednesday club. It usually offers flavors and a drinkability that someone who is new to whiskey would most likely enjoy it.

Oh and how I enjoyed this bottle so much this evening. Think of all the good qualities a bourbon can have, from sweet to earthy, you have it all in this wonderful bottle. It's one that has such complexity whether you drink it as is or add a bit of water. Something you can enjoy on a nice rainy and dark evening.

Nose: With or without water I got a lot of the same notes, toffee, caramel and some earthy notes mixed in with smoke, think of toasted walnuts. There was also a bit of spice from the nose, especially prevalent at the full strength.

Palate: The mouth is warming, with caramel, toffee and butterscotch. There is a bit of citrus and sweetness really balances out this dram so nicely. Pecan Pie was a really dominant flavor near the end and made such a wonderful finish.

The interest I've seen in Redwood Empire is well deserved, in my opinion. I'd say this is one of the best bourbons currently in my collection, 2nd only to Widow Jane. And I am glad to have picked this up. If you're interested in trying, honestly I'd say ignore the non-cask strength and just pick this up.

This is a rich and spicy bourbon that'll definitely help warm up your evening and one that I can easily recommend. It's a bottle that I'll definitely be reaching for again from my shelf.