Taste - Sampled 2 oz neat in a Glencairn glass. Nose - Dominant notes include milk chocolate, candied orange, and a sprig of mint. There's also a slightly artificial, perhaps medicinal hint of cherry cough drop. Taste - The flavor largely mirrors the nose, with the candied orange tasting more like chocolate-coated jelly orange candies. Maple is also present. This gives way to spicier notes in the mid-palate and a hint of new wood. It becomes slightly drying towards the end. Finish - Oak and cinnamon candies are the concluding notes. Overall - I'm typically not impressed by craft whiskey or grain-to-glass bottles, BUT this particular rye really hit the mark for me, about 75% of the way. I enjoyed the candied orange and milky chocolate flavors. The cherry menthol, maple, and cinnamon notes didn't deter me, and I appreciated the depth they provided. The 25% I didn't care for was the drying sensation at the very end. A touch of woodiness right at the conclusion turned a really great bottle into a very good one. However, this distiller has now captured my attention. Comparatively, I would choose this over a 4-year-old Willett any day. It's the same price, an extra year of aging, and offers more complexity in flavor.
Redwood Empire Rocket Top Bottled in Bond Rye (Spring 2017 Vintage)
Whiskey Rye California 5 Year 50% ABV
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About this bottle
The second batch of Redwood Empire's Rocket Top Bottled in Bond Rye is a grain-to-glass product from the California distillery. It blends rye distilled in spring 2017 from various mash bills, resulting in a final blend of 87% rye, 5% wheat, 5% malted barley, and 3% corn, which differs from the prior release. The whiskey aged 5 years in 53-gallon American oak barrels, predominantly toasted and charred to a level 3. It was released in September 2022. (SRP $89.99)
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 6 parsed reviews.
***Update to my original tasting** This significantly improved with some aeration. After resting with considerable headspace for a couple of months, it completely blew me away! I detected the tart fruitiness that the expert noted, with an almost fresh-picked strawberry quality. Adding a small amount of water truly enhanced the sipping experience. Time transformed a good bottle into an even better one.
Bananas are immediately apparent on the nose. Caramel emerges after a few minutes. A sweet aftertaste.
Just opened the bottle; I want to let it sit and revisit it in a week.
Nose: Cherry notes. Palate: Fleeting touches of cinnamon and fruit.
Bold flavor, I'm tasting the notes that the experts mention.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
