Red Wood Empire Rocket Top Rye Whiskey Batch 3 (Spring 2018 Distilling Season)

Nose: Dill, Fennel, Molasses, Black Pepper, Ginger, French Vanilla, Over-Ripe Bananas, Laffy Taffy, Slightly Medicinal Cherry. Palate: Cardimum, Toast, Light Bitter Oak - Tannins, Mint, Anise, Maple Syrup, Rye Spice, Lingering Banana Laffy Taffy, Rum Raisin Bread. I'm always pleased to discover bottles from new distillers on the west coast or anywhere in the United States. Redwood Empire is one I've been watching. They initially blended product from MGP and later incorporated their own product once it had aged sufficiently. Now, they have enough of their own spirit to release batches that are entirely their own distillate. The aroma is rich, featuring strong herbs, deep dark molasses, artificial candies, and dark raisin bread in the background. The palate continues with herbal notes, baking spices, and cooking spices, along with light oak tannins. The latter half of the palate becomes somewhat sweeter, with notes of maple syrup, sweet artificial banana, and raisin bread. The finish includes light herbs, spices, toasted bread, and hints of that sweet banana continue to emerge. This bottling is excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.