Redwood Empire Devils Tower High Rye Bourbon

Nose offers rye crackers, strawberry, maple wood, ginger ale, honey, and a hint of vanilla creme. Ethanol extremely low. Not complex at all, but what’s here is pleasant enough. Palate opens with honey, orange peel, clove, licorice, and a floral note that’s hard to identify but it’s definitely there (honeysuckle?) Medium-length finish brings rickhouse funk, tons of black pepper, some soft oak, cinnamon, tea leaf, mint, and barrel char. Mouthfeel medium bodied and slick. A decent offering especially for what obviously is a younger whisky and while it has a somewhat unique profile, nothing really stands out or truly wows. At $89.99, there’s just too much else out there that’s better at the price point. Can’t justify a rebuy.

NEAT BATCH 002 NOSE - Eucalyptus, Honey, and Citrus PALATE - The palate starts off with quite a bit of rye spice. Just before it starts to dominate the palate, there is a quick transition of honey sweetness with a watered down honey viscosity. The palate is fairly straightforward and simple with mint and honey. FINISH - Quite long. There’s a clean, refreshing aftertaste similar to after chewing spearmint gum or eating mint ice cream. BUY? - Hmmm. This is not bad, but so far it’s my least favorite of the Small Lot Series. I haven’t tried the Foggy Burl yet though. If you need to complete the small lot series collection, it’s not a terrible buy but I don’t think you’d miss much by skipping it. BUY AGAIN? - Likely not unless I hear that future batches are much better.

Nice honey sweetness at first, giving way to burn of high rye. Unique how sweetness is always on edge of tongue, but rye is there for sure.