$50 is my normal price for a sipper, $70 for something special (new riff 6 yr malted rye is fantastic!), $90-$100 for once a year type bottle. I like to see some blinds for the $50 range. Especially ryes
There's going to be more and more Bourbon sitting on the shelves this year. The prices have gotten way out of hand. If you drink one bottle a month, you're spending 1200 dollars a year.
prices on everything have got out of hand, not just whiskey. Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable bottles. You can have several 20-65 bottles as your basics. I went up to 65 to get jack SBBP's in. lol But Early Times and OGD114 are still awesome buys. Redwood's basic line in the 35ish range. Jack bonded, Rare Breed 1920/1910, and the new Barrell Foundation is fantastic at 54. Plus all the other's lower priced bottles that people enjoy. Then put a little more $ into a few bottles you really like/want. I just got Thomas Handy for 200, but I also buy Early Times to help. lol
I concur. I've reached my personal bourbon zen somewhere on the midshelf. And Redwood never impressed me much less a "grainy" note on a 90 buck bottle. Sourced from MGP?
A bottle better have some fairly unique specs and not have something comparable I can substitute for it before I start spending over $60. I'd be happy to sample and try these offerings, but I'm not putting down that much money on a full bottle.
Companies got used to people emptying their wallets during covid, so they figured since we’re back to work now, let’s squeeze some more out of them. I know it can be a costly investment for them, but this seems about 25% too much, especially for not being at cask strength. Just my opinion on how it looks to me. Now the three 30ish dollar bottles are a great value.
There are so many Great spirits at the $40-75 price point I really don't see a need to spend $100+ on a bottle these days. Additionally, I drink most everything depending on my mood and other factors. I have a great local distillery that does single malt and I am also fortunate enough to have access to great breweries and wineries (I live in Western NC) so yeah, I'm spoiled. At some point the gouging needs to stop. I don't fault the smaller guys for trying to make $$. but I also have an issue w/the big guys just charging more, just because they can.
100 for a 94 proof ASM is a big ask. Maybe I'm spoiled but here in Maryland (and Seelbachs) you can get Old Line Flagship 95 proof for 60, and it is an excellent ASM. Town Branch has casks strength Kentucky single malt picks for like 60 that are 9+ years old. Stranahan's has their 94 proof at 56 locally. I feel like Redwood's non-core releases are always overpriced by 20 to 30%. That said, I've never been disappointed in any of their releases
@@thomascleary2004True. The RE Rocket Top was good at 100 proof, buy I'll take their base 90 proof Emerald Giant at half the price any day. It's delicious and just as good.
Redwood Empire is one of our favorite distilleries. I currently have 3 limited expressions and 2 regular. All are fabulous. The limited casks are all in-house distillate, a sign of more great stuff to come.
Picked them both up on Monday. Thought they were both great. I am a fan of single malts and I thought RE's was a great introduction. I believe that is RE's own juice, too. So, very happy with it and looking forward to their future releases. The Devil's Tower was what I was really after, and it did not disappoint at all. I found it very interesting - I didn't find any spearmint but lots of spices along with a little bit of caramel. Absolutely happy with them.
Gotta agree with the other guys, $100 for such a low proof bottle is untenable. I love Redwood Empire products, especially the Bourbon-Rye blend in Lost Monarch. Considering that bottle is a real hitter and goes for around $30, this would have to blow my mind and shine my shoes in order to justify almost 3.5x the cost.
I get that these are limited releases, but I don't think either of these, being non-age stated whiskies at 99 proof, justifies its price of $100. That's ridiculous, especially if they're expecting us to trust their own distillate without any prior experience. Not to mention that their own distillate should be cheaper than their MGP releases. These bottles are highway robbery.
My experience with Redwood is their limited releases are fabulous and their standard releases are some of the best values around. I have Pipe Dreams, regular and cask, Lost Monarch Cask Strength, Rocket Top 4 grain bottles in bond and Gentle Giant regular rye. The limited expressions were $70 to $80 and well worth it. I will probably get one or both if they make it to Crofton MD.
They are learning from the big scotch companys like Ardbeg...Each year they bring some NAS whisky´s for 125€ and +.....On the other hand, they are producing small quantitys, where the price of producing the whiskey is much higher as at the big ones.
Would you ever do a video comparing American single malts to similar scotches ? I have a hard time paying 90+ for a single malt when there are fantastic scotches for less. Great channel!
This is a hard pass on both. Living in CO, we have a bunch of local craft distilleries, who sell amazing product, grain to glass as well, for almost half this price. Stranahan’s store picks, at barrel strength, are around for $60 all the time. Laws whiskey has well aged stock for $50-70.
They both sound interesting but I am trying to cut down my whiskey budget so I will probably just try the High Rye and get the Westward cask strength to expand my single malts. Cheers gentlemen 😎🥃
good stuff guys, i really like their Pipe Dream and Lost Monarch Cask strengths and you can taste those chocolate nutty notes in those bottles as well.
Ive had a bottle of rocket top, grizzly beast and emerald giant cask strength. I think they are pretty good, i just dont think any of them are worth triple the price of their normal bottles. I think im going to pass on these releases.
I love Redwood Empire’s cask strength rye but $89 (which is the price here in CA) is a little more expensive than I prefer for the new releases. If they can get the msrp down to around $70 I would definitely buy it. St. George ($50-$70) has very reasonably priced single malts. Young and Yonder have a really nice rye whiskey ($50-$70) as well.
Living here in California, these were released couple weeks ago here but even though I could have been one of the first to review it, I passed on these bottles. Like Kurt said, I understand the pricing, but that doesn't mean I have to like it 😆. $90 for a non barrel proof bourbon seems too high. Frey Ranch does farm to bottle (4 grain) and they are priced at $80 cask strength (or they call it farm strength). Same with the single malt. $100 seems high when I can get Lagavulin 16, Ardnamirchan cask strength, or even hazelburn 10 at the same price. American single malts are competing with other single malts, not just the US ones and it seems they forgot about that when they decided on the price point. I want to support Redwood Empire as they are a California distillery and love their other whiskeys, but couldn't do it for these. Thanks for the video!
Grabbed a bottle of Tattersall Rye cask strength recently after seeing their special edition rye on minnicks list. I've never had a Rye/malted Rye mash but this all rye rye is awesome, 100% fig bomb and it was like $40. I think experimentation with malting different grains really opens up what you can do with whisky.
@@paleggett1897 oh I've had those and bulliet 95 but I don't think any use malted rye. They're good but experiments with malted grains outside of barley offer some interesting options.
As prices climb they are likely going to sit on shelf’s and I’m fine with it because I have almost 50 bottles open in my bar and I know what I like and hate and will buy and won’t. And i know my price threshold hold on what I will keep in my bar as at dwindles down to less than 20 bottles constantly kept
SLB Classics 0:01 Trenton brings down the good stuff 0:20 Trenton is aging as fast as his hairline 0:33 Kurt is a sucker for a single malt 1:12 MVP Elliot (redwood) and Matt Fishman 1:40 Kurt did some research and Trenton’s dog ate his homework 2:31 the boys love transparency on the label 3:33 Trenton “loves” the single malts but they can wait 4:44 Trenton and Kurt are always honest 5:00 DD is da bomb, but Trenton’s hot take on filled donuts 6:13 Kurt Pavlov’ed Trenton with peanut butter note 8:29 JAMMY! 9:36 A rare finish of the glen 10:08 Trenton struggles with words 10:56 Trenton loses his mind on the smell 11:05 Classic Trenton spill 11:26 Trenton candy note: bubble gum 11:51 Story time with Trenton 12:13 Trenton struggles with words 13:27 Trenton is at a loss for words😮 14:05 QUINTESSENTIAL! 14:23 👰♀️🤵💍 16:04 Trenton is disappointed in max proof, but it’s in Kurt’s whew house 17:22 Trenton finishes 2/2!! 18:30 Trenton is still struggling with words 19:02 QUINTESSENTIAL!! 21:58 nice sign… and then a twist 22:31 Better sign off and nod
I see a lot of comments that complain about pricing. While yes I agree the prices have gotten out of hand. 100 for a bottle is not that bad, even if you go about a bottle a month. $1200 a year for a hobby is not expensive. There are plenty of hobbies way more expensive than this. Tbh the $1200 figure a year is pretty cheap if you consider it a hobby.
Hey guys, quick question… Lost Monarch is a blend of 60% rye with 40% bourbon so is higher in rye than the devils tower. Is there any comparison in the drinking? Or vastly different due to it being a single bottle as opposed to a blend? Also ages may differ of course as well.
As a fellow Hoosier, and a 20 something male lacking.....something, I resonated with 2 things. 1- Definitely have snorted some smarties. 2- A bit of a long shot, but hoping that chocolate long john reference was referring to a wonderful yeast donut from the late Marsh Supermarkets. Man I miss their donuts. And of course, I love Redwood Empire Pipe Dream and am hoping to get my hands on these!
Lost Monarch was my intro as well ...loved it. Also love their Emerald Giant Rye and Pipe Dream Bourbon, especially at the price point. Really like the cask strength versions as well. Only thing is that the price is 2x the base offerings, so while really good, not as great a value.
I am not very familiar with RE mainly because their juice is very limited where I live. The only readily available products are the Emerald Giant Rye and the PIpe Dream bourbon. Both are reasonbly priced @ $31.95 each. I see no reason to pay almost three times that for a limited release.
We just tried both of these bottles and enjoyed them a lot. Our notes are very similar to yours. I read somewhere that they are planning to release the high rye bourbon at cask strength. I'm not 100% sure if that's true, but I'm hopeful. People aren't going to be happy about the price, but I'm willing to pay it based on the unique flavors. I haven't had anything that tastes like either of these bottles before. It's nice to add something to the shelf that doesnt taste like 10 other bottles.
Speaking of donuts, have you tried the Rise ‘n Roll Bakery (several locations in northern IN)? The cinnamon caramel donuts, both filled and unfilled, are delicious.
Love Lost Monarch, RocketTop and Emerald Giant. However I’ll pass on these. NAS is bothersome. 100 bucks is too much. Bourbon prices are out of hand in my opinion. Hope anyone who spends that money enjoys.
The single malt release was a partnership with Admiral Maltings. Would be great to see you interview them if you are planning single malt reviews just to understand and appreciate the whole process.
I just ordered both bottles I'm looking forward to popping the cork on these I love redwood empire and though I know these aren't whiskeys you would typically get from them I'm excited to try something new especially the single malt I'm a big fan of Balcones's single malt it is a higher abv than this one but I'm sure the flavor is on point. As always guys great review I really enjoy the content. Cheers!
What a coincidence! I just picked up my first ASM. I purchased the 2023 release of High West High Country ASM. After watching this video, I'm excited about uncorking the bottle.
Kurt I can't wait for your American single malt videos. I ran out and bought WestWard's cask strength and WestWard's pinot noir cask, not an easy find here in CT. They are so good. I hope to find Redwood Empire's single malt, Iam a big fan of they're Grizzle Beast.
I'm not a Rye guy but Redwood Empire's Emerald Giant is a Rye that I can get behind and from my understanding, my buddies who are into Rye's say that this is a great introductory whiskey. I live in California and about 4 years ago these bottles were very hard to find and now that they've gained some momentum, you can find it anywhere on the west coast. If you guys can get your hands on one, Sabbatical Whiskey out of Holt, CA in the Northern Delta has some great releases as well.
I love everything Redwood empire and would love to try them, but probably will never see them in Indiana. I have most of them but even seeing the Grizzly beast, Rocket top and regular cask strengths here is very rare took forever to get them.
Apologies if you've already done this and I just don't remember (and who and I again?) but I'd love to see a review/blind of top generally available single malt whiskeys that you guys like. I'm just getting started with single malts, and the education would be great. Love what you guys do every week, thanks!
Have y'all tried "Kentucky 10?" I don't know how popular or unpopular they are, but I came across it last week here in Ga for a little over $30. It's a 90 proof wheater that is absolutely fantastic!
With your love of transparency and also of scotch, have you had much compass box? One of my favorites across their whole lineup and their special releases are spectacular. Cheers
i have both and feel they are very good drinkers for the mid 90 proof range. So much taste for the proof. Its not always about the proof but the flavors. You get so much fruit on the one
I’ll get these if I see them. Yes prices are going crazy and I generally stay in the 19-150 range. I get a great rye for 20 all day but for these bottles to me it’s worth the higher prices. I’m a big Redwood empire fan currently drinking a pipe dream still looking for the cask strength and my favorite is the rye it is just a great bottle. Still haven’t got into the single malt game yet but I believe it’s time.
Been eagerly waiting for a review on these two bottles. First experience with ASM was High West’s High Country and was greatly disappointed. Hoping RE’s Foggy Burl is a hitter. On a side note, Trenton is 100%! Sniffing up a PixyStix was pure pain as a kid.
I have high country and have not enjoyed it any time I have tried it. I'm a big fan of this foggy burl bottle amd am hoping they come out with a yearly release that I would gladly pick up.
For me, I thought American single malt were supposed to be a cheaper alternative to Scotch single malts. Doesn’t seem that is the reality now. For me if I see these on sale at 70 bucks I’ll consider it but at these hundred dollar plus prices forget it.
I grabbed the Devil's Tower the other day. I'm a big rye fan, so this appealed to me. I'm doing a dry January, so I'll pop this in a few weeks. And after this, I'm looking forward to it. Thanks!
One of the best channels around if possible and you review or talk about Holladay distillers I cant find it anywhere and want to know if its worth a online order?
I feel a bit sorry for American Single Malts. It's a growing segment in whiskey but whiskey is on the decline. I'm not saying the bubble has burst but the market is seeing a major shift towards Tequila. I was in California in October and shop owners there consistently said Tequila is #1 and whiskey has really slowed down over the past year. Just today I was speaking with a shop manager in St. Louis and he said that 2 years ago sales were 70% bourbon. Now it's basically 50/50 Tequila and Bourbon. He felt that Tequila will be 70-80% of his sales within 5 years. For those who are less apt at math, this is a seismic shift. Say things are 50/50 right now. To get to 70/30 that means bourbon drops 40% (not 20%). When you walk into a liquor store in the Midwest the allocated shelf and the shelf space for Whiskey is usually 2-3x larger than any other spirit. Sometimes a good half of the store is whiskey. If Tequila is selling like hot cakes, and tequila and most popular tequilas are 0-3 years of age you will have TONS of new producers pushing for shelf space that previously belonged to bourbon. Why is this terrible for American single malt? Simple - there are to many "staple" bourbon, rye, Canadian, Irish, and Scotch whiskies demanding shelf space. Stocking more than 1-2 of the most popular American Single Malts won't make sense for the vast majority of stores. So we will see this American Single Malt growth come and go VERY fast. If a craft distillery produces a good bottle of American Single Malt you like, I recommend getting some bunker bottles while you can. Talk to shop owners and see what is selling outside of bourbon and where their business is growing. You might be shocked to find out that bourbon is not as booming as it feels when you can't find allocations on shelf you want. This is why I find the intentional allocation of Buffalo Trace products very silly. The brand is setting themselves up for some balance sheet issues in the next few years. They have tons of bottles and barrels that are ready to ship. They don't want to flood the market until they have their new warehouses stocked up. BT is slowly increasing prices but they will take MASSIVE price hikes as the demand for their product dwindles (because they have too much whiskey in reserve). Trust me, EHT will be a $60 MSRP bottle in 2025. Blanton's will head towards a $100 MSRP price tag in 2 years (and it's gross). The only bottle to be spared a price rush will be Buffalo Trace. To chase some cash and headlines you can expect to see a summer allocation series, like Emmer Wheat, but expanded into a multi product lineup that is all $300-500 per bottle. These won't actually be super high age statement (most likely NAS) but they will try to "win" the enthusiast dollars from competitors by having an expanded summer unicorn lineup.
Maybe I'm crazy, but from the first sip of the Devils Tower I catch taste I already tried. I found it - Ichiro's Malt and Grain World Whiskey Limited Edition (Blue label)! Very very similar for me.
I want to like American Single Malt. I think that's where things are headed. I just haven't cared much for what I've found. The price on this bottle is too steep for me to gamble on. Maybe I'll find someplace where I can get a pour.
Redwood Empire is one of my favorites. looking forward to these. But speaking of Single Malts, have you tried anything from Westland? It's really good. Would be happy to send a sample if you haven't. let me know
3:08 Trenton's learning from Kurt, rolling the glass like that. 🙂 5:01 Winchell's is even better than Dunkin'. But it's blasphemy to reject cream filled donuts. There's no better donut than a Bavarian cream. 🍩 11:05 Trenton, that's alcohol abuse! 😂
I really like what Redwood Empire is doing. I absolutely love their Emerald Giant Cask Strength Rye!
$50 is my normal price for a sipper, $70 for something special (new riff 6 yr malted rye is fantastic!), $90-$100 for once a year type bottle. I like to see some blinds for the $50 range. Especially ryes
Redwood label designs have always been a favorite, Old Elk should consider hiring those designers.
There's going to be more and more Bourbon sitting on the shelves this year. The prices have gotten way out of hand. If you drink one bottle a month, you're spending 1200 dollars a year.
one bottle a month with that price I need 2 more jobs!!
Better than spending 1200 in 2-4 months at the bar!
nobody said the hobby was cheap.
prices on everything have got out of hand, not just whiskey. Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable bottles. You can have several 20-65 bottles as your basics. I went up to 65 to get jack SBBP's in. lol But Early Times and OGD114 are still awesome buys. Redwood's basic line in the 35ish range. Jack bonded, Rare Breed 1920/1910, and the new Barrell Foundation is fantastic at 54. Plus all the other's lower priced bottles that people enjoy. Then put a little more $ into a few bottles you really like/want. I just got Thomas Handy for 200, but I also buy Early Times to help. lol
Never show me the numbers! Hahaha
I'll pass. I"m sick of accepted prices of bottles going up and up. People don't even bat an eye now at a $90+ bottle of whiskey.
Yep, I'll stick to OF100, WT101 and other 'budget' bourbons which deliver exceptional value for the price.
I concur. I've reached my personal bourbon zen somewhere on the midshelf. And Redwood never impressed me much less a "grainy" note on a 90 buck bottle. Sourced from MGP?
It’s totally out of control
A bottle better have some fairly unique specs and not have something comparable I can substitute for it before I start spending over $60. I'd be happy to sample and try these offerings, but I'm not putting down that much money on a full bottle.
Companies got used to people emptying their wallets during covid, so they figured since we’re back to work now, let’s squeeze some more out of them. I know it can be a costly investment for them, but this seems about 25% too much, especially for not being at cask strength. Just my opinion on how it looks to me. Now the three 30ish dollar bottles are a great value.
There are so many Great spirits at the $40-75 price point I really don't see a need to spend $100+ on a bottle these days. Additionally, I drink most everything depending on my mood and other factors. I have a great local distillery that does single malt and I am also fortunate enough to have access to great breweries and wineries (I live in Western NC) so yeah, I'm spoiled. At some point the gouging needs to stop. I don't fault the smaller guys for trying to make $$. but I also have an issue w/the big guys just charging more, just because they can.
100 for a 94 proof ASM is a big ask. Maybe I'm spoiled but here in Maryland (and Seelbachs) you can get Old Line Flagship 95 proof for 60, and it is an excellent ASM. Town Branch has casks strength Kentucky single malt picks for like 60 that are 9+ years old. Stranahan's has their 94 proof at 56 locally. I feel like Redwood's non-core releases are always overpriced by 20 to 30%. That said, I've never been disappointed in any of their releases
They double their price for 10 extra proof for a non age statement whiskey. That’s crazy to me. Am I wrong?
@@thomascleary2004True. The RE Rocket Top was good at 100 proof, buy I'll take their base 90 proof Emerald Giant at half the price any day. It's delicious and just as good.
Gotta pay for that California Real Estate some how
And you have Sagamore there in Baltimore too!
Redwood Empire is one of our favorite distilleries. I currently have 3 limited expressions and 2 regular. All are fabulous. The limited casks are all in-house distillate, a sign of more great stuff to come.
Picked them both up on Monday. Thought they were both great. I am a fan of single malts and I thought RE's was a great introduction. I believe that is RE's own juice, too. So, very happy with it and looking forward to their future releases. The Devil's Tower was what I was really after, and it did not disappoint at all. I found it very interesting - I didn't find any spearmint but lots of spices along with a little bit of caramel. Absolutely happy with them.
COPE
Gotta agree with the other guys, $100 for such a low proof bottle is untenable. I love Redwood Empire products, especially the Bourbon-Rye blend in Lost Monarch. Considering that bottle is a real hitter and goes for around $30, this would have to blow my mind and shine my shoes in order to justify almost 3.5x the cost.
Now they are going to raise their basic prices!!! lol
I get that these are limited releases, but I don't think either of these, being non-age stated whiskies at 99 proof, justifies its price of $100. That's ridiculous, especially if they're expecting us to trust their own distillate without any prior experience. Not to mention that their own distillate should be cheaper than their MGP releases. These bottles are highway robbery.
My experience with Redwood is their limited releases are fabulous and their standard releases are some of the best values around. I have Pipe Dreams, regular and cask, Lost Monarch Cask Strength, Rocket Top 4 grain bottles in bond and Gentle Giant regular rye. The limited expressions were $70 to $80 and well worth it. I will probably get one or both if they make it to Crofton MD.
The proof is in the tasting. @@sideshowonacid
@@deang1004 I've had their bottled in bond stuff, and I wasn't impressed.
They are learning from the big scotch companys like Ardbeg...Each year they bring some NAS whisky´s for 125€ and +.....On the other hand, they are producing small quantitys, where the price of producing the whiskey is much higher as at the big ones.
Yes, please do a video on American single malts. Soon.
Would you ever do a video comparing American single malts to similar scotches ? I have a hard time paying 90+ for a single malt when there are fantastic scotches for less. Great channel!
Great idea.
This would be great! 👆
This is a hard pass on both. Living in CO, we have a bunch of local craft distilleries, who sell amazing product, grain to glass as well, for almost half this price. Stranahan’s store picks, at barrel strength, are around for $60 all the time. Laws whiskey has well aged stock for $50-70.
I love the Stranahan’s cask strength, for me the extra proof tames how sweet it is.
@@sethw4569for sure. I’m not a fan of the regular Stranahan’s but these store picks are so crushable
Boulder Spirits Cask Strength is awesome! Picked one up on vacation in July.
the new Still Austin Blue Corn Bourbon is 51% corn, 44% rye, 5% malted barley. Could be an interesting head to head against that Redwood Empire
They both sound interesting but I am trying to cut down my whiskey budget so I will probably just try the High Rye and get the Westward cask strength to expand my single malts. Cheers gentlemen 😎🥃
Are they room temp though?
Had to be asked!
good stuff guys, i really like their Pipe Dream and Lost Monarch Cask strengths and you can taste those chocolate nutty notes in those bottles as well.
Ive had a bottle of rocket top, grizzly beast and emerald giant cask strength. I think they are pretty good, i just dont think any of them are worth triple the price of their normal bottles. I think im going to pass on these releases.
I love Redwood Empire’s cask strength rye but $89 (which is the price here in CA) is a little more expensive than I prefer for the new releases. If they can get the msrp down to around $70 I would definitely buy it. St. George ($50-$70) has very reasonably priced single malts. Young and Yonder have a really nice rye whiskey ($50-$70) as well.
Living here in California, these were released couple weeks ago here but even though I could have been one of the first to review it, I passed on these bottles.
Like Kurt said, I understand the pricing, but that doesn't mean I have to like it 😆.
$90 for a non barrel proof bourbon seems too high. Frey Ranch does farm to bottle (4 grain) and they are priced at $80 cask strength (or they call it farm strength). Same with the single malt. $100 seems high when I can get Lagavulin 16, Ardnamirchan cask strength, or even hazelburn 10 at the same price. American single malts are competing with other single malts, not just the US ones and it seems they forgot about that when they decided on the price point.
I want to support Redwood Empire as they are a California distillery and love their other whiskeys, but couldn't do it for these.
Thanks for the video!
Grabbed a bottle of Tattersall Rye cask strength recently after seeing their special edition rye on minnicks list. I've never had a Rye/malted Rye mash but this all rye rye is awesome, 100% fig bomb and it was like $40. I think experimentation with malting different grains really opens up what you can do with whisky.
Look at Knob Creek, or New Riff (esp their 95-5 straight rye), Michter’s and others 😍
@@paleggett1897 oh I've had those and bulliet 95 but I don't think any use malted rye. They're good but experiments with malted grains outside of barley offer some interesting options.
I live in California and can find Redwood Empire easily but haven’t seen these even advertised anywhere.
Great review. We picked up both of these in Sonoma last week and have them on deck to taste with friends. Looking forward to comparing notes.
As prices climb they are likely going to sit on shelf’s and I’m fine with it because I have almost 50 bottles open in my bar and I know what I like and hate and will buy and won’t. And i know my price threshold hold on what I will keep in my bar as at dwindles down to less than 20 bottles constantly kept
Absolutely love the Devils Tower. Paid $75 for it in an Illinois Woodmans
SLB Classics
0:01 Trenton brings down the good stuff
0:20 Trenton is aging as fast as his hairline
0:33 Kurt is a sucker for a single malt
1:12 MVP Elliot (redwood) and Matt Fishman
1:40 Kurt did some research and Trenton’s dog ate his homework
2:31 the boys love transparency on the label
3:33 Trenton “loves” the single malts but they can wait
4:44 Trenton and Kurt are always honest
5:00 DD is da bomb, but Trenton’s hot take on filled donuts
6:13 Kurt Pavlov’ed Trenton with peanut butter note
8:29 JAMMY!
9:36 A rare finish of the glen
10:08 Trenton struggles with words
10:56 Trenton loses his mind on the smell
11:05 Classic Trenton spill
11:26 Trenton candy note: bubble gum
11:51 Story time with Trenton
12:13 Trenton struggles with words
13:27 Trenton is at a loss for words😮
14:05 QUINTESSENTIAL!
14:23 👰♀️🤵💍
16:04 Trenton is disappointed in max proof, but it’s in Kurt’s whew house
17:22 Trenton finishes 2/2!!
18:30 Trenton is still struggling with words
19:02 QUINTESSENTIAL!!
21:58 nice sign… and then a twist
22:31 Better sign off and nod
Good job sir. Spot on as always
I like rye and bourbon and will pick up a bottle for myself to try. I love Sagamore Double Oak Rye from Maryland so far the best.
Great job on the video. I really like Redwood Empire and feel the price is fair for a small distillery. Cheers bros!
The Redwood Empires on my shelf are spectacular. Emerald Grant and Pipe Dream, both cask strength. Looking forward to adding more of their juice!!
I see a lot of comments that complain about pricing. While yes I agree the prices have gotten out of hand. 100 for a bottle is not that bad, even if you go about a bottle a month. $1200 a year for a hobby is not expensive. There are plenty of hobbies way more expensive than this. Tbh the $1200 figure a year is pretty cheap if you consider it a hobby.
Hey guys, quick question… Lost Monarch is a blend of 60% rye with 40% bourbon so is higher in rye than the devils tower. Is there any comparison in the drinking? Or vastly different due to it being a single bottle as opposed to a blend? Also ages may differ of course as well.
Redwood always has the coolest labels…and great brown juice!
As a fellow Hoosier, and a 20 something male lacking.....something, I resonated with 2 things. 1- Definitely have snorted some smarties. 2- A bit of a long shot, but hoping that chocolate long john reference was referring to a wonderful yeast donut from the late Marsh Supermarkets. Man I miss their donuts. And of course, I love Redwood Empire Pipe Dream and am hoping to get my hands on these!
I grabbed a Screaming Titan yesterday and I cannot wait to get it. And yes I would buy a barrel pick from RE for sure!
I was introduced to this distillery by trying Lost Monarch. I really like it. They do a great job down there!
Lost Monarch was my intro as well ...loved it. Also love their Emerald Giant Rye and Pipe Dream Bourbon, especially at the price point. Really like the cask strength versions as well. Only thing is that the price is 2x the base offerings, so while really good, not as great a value.
I am not very familiar with RE mainly because their juice is very limited where I live. The only readily available products are the Emerald Giant Rye and the PIpe Dream bourbon. Both are reasonbly priced @ $31.95 each. I see no reason to pay almost three times that for a limited release.
We just tried both of these bottles and enjoyed them a lot. Our notes are very similar to yours.
I read somewhere that they are planning to release the high rye bourbon at cask strength. I'm not 100% sure if that's true, but I'm hopeful.
People aren't going to be happy about the price, but I'm willing to pay it based on the unique flavors. I haven't had anything that tastes like either of these bottles before. It's nice to add something to the shelf that doesnt taste like 10 other bottles.
Cedar Ridge is right down road from my uncles house here in Iowa! Swisher Iowa!
Great show guys, looking to add the Foggy Burl to the selection of Red Woods i have.
Speaking of donuts, have you tried the Rise ‘n Roll Bakery (several locations in northern IN)? The cinnamon caramel donuts, both filled and unfilled, are delicious.
Hit it every time I visit my in-laws in South Bend!
Love Lost Monarch, RocketTop and Emerald Giant. However I’ll pass on these. NAS is bothersome. 100 bucks is too much. Bourbon prices are out of hand in my opinion. Hope anyone who spends that money enjoys.
Picked up the Devils Tower. One of the most complex bottles I've ever had! Really need a few pours to even start to decipher what it has going on.
The single malt release was a partnership with Admiral Maltings. Would be great to see you interview them if you are planning single malt reviews just to understand and appreciate the whole process.
I’ve always enjoyed Redwood Empire! Love the bottles!
I just ordered both bottles I'm looking forward to popping the cork on these I love redwood empire and though I know these aren't whiskeys you would typically get from them I'm excited to try something new especially the single malt I'm a big fan of Balcones's single malt it is a higher abv than this one but I'm sure the flavor is on point. As always guys great review I really enjoy the content. Cheers!
I’m waiting for Westward cognac finish to appear on my doorstep. I’m totally digging American single malts
I have the Devils Tower. Very unique. I get the rye up front and the finish to me was a heavy peach note. I do enjoy it but very different.
What a coincidence! I just picked up my first ASM. I purchased the 2023 release of High West High Country ASM. After watching this video, I'm excited about uncorking the bottle.
90 for 100 proof is tough for me. JDSBBP and JDSBBP Rye are on the shelf for under 75
Kurt I can't wait for your American single malt videos. I ran out and bought WestWard's cask strength and WestWard's pinot noir cask, not an easy find here in CT. They are so good. I hope to find Redwood Empire's single malt, Iam a big fan of they're Grizzle Beast.
Matty Fishsticks FTW!!!
Have you guys had either Still Austin High Rye or Peerless High Rye? Curious how the Redwood compares to those!
I'll try it but I'm stuck on Bulleit Rye and just love it. Total Wine has the Redwood Empire line and I'll check them out.
It’s nice to see a non legacy distillery making good Whiskey, hopefully the prices come down in the future.
Trenton, i am the donut expert. The best is a chocolate covered custard filled bismark. wish they made bourbon that smelled like this
I'm not a Rye guy but Redwood Empire's Emerald Giant is a Rye that I can get behind and from my understanding, my buddies who are into Rye's say that this is a great introductory whiskey. I live in California and about 4 years ago these bottles were very hard to find and now that they've gained some momentum, you can find it anywhere on the west coast. If you guys can get your hands on one, Sabbatical Whiskey out of Holt, CA in the Northern Delta has some great releases as well.
Love the video I’d love to send over some Old Line from Maryland!
I love everything Redwood empire and would love to try them, but probably will never see them in Indiana. I have most of them but even seeing the Grizzly beast, Rocket top and regular cask strengths here is very rare took forever to get them.
Apologies if you've already done this and I just don't remember (and who and I again?) but I'd love to see a review/blind of top generally available single malt whiskeys that you guys like. I'm just getting started with single malts, and the education would be great. Love what you guys do every week, thanks!
Here’s your reminder to do the top camera! Don’t forget!
Have y'all tried "Kentucky 10?" I don't know how popular or unpopular they are, but I came across it last week here in Ga for a little over $30. It's a 90 proof wheater that is absolutely fantastic!
The single malt doesn't just have a chocolate note on it, that is more specifically a kitkat
Trenton and Kurton love the Empire!
Limited edition bourbon is starting to rival the “limited edition collectable plate” market of the late 90s.
Just got two of the bonded rye. Always looking for fresh, new flavors. Regular bourbon is a bit boring to me. I love rye
With your love of transparency and also of scotch, have you had much compass box? One of my favorites across their whole lineup and their special releases are spectacular. Cheers
i have both and feel they are very good drinkers for the mid 90 proof range. So much taste for the proof. Its not always about the proof but the flavors. You get so much fruit on the one
“Trenton and I” makes a brief return 😂
13Th Century Whiskey bourbon & rye barrel proof very good under $100.
I know the mashbills are different, but as a big fan of their PipeDream I look forward to trying anything they bottle...
I’ll get these if I see them. Yes prices are going crazy and I generally stay in the 19-150 range. I get a great rye for 20 all day but for these bottles to me it’s worth the higher prices. I’m a big Redwood empire fan currently drinking a pipe dream still looking for the cask strength and my favorite is the rye it is just a great bottle. Still haven’t got into the single malt game yet but I believe it’s time.
Vacationing in Mexico. Any whiskey recommendations that I have to try. Thanks
Been eagerly waiting for a review on these two bottles. First experience with ASM was High West’s High Country and was greatly disappointed. Hoping RE’s Foggy Burl is a hitter. On a side note, Trenton is 100%! Sniffing up a PixyStix was pure pain as a kid.
I have high country and have not enjoyed it any time I have tried it. I'm a big fan of this foggy burl bottle amd am hoping they come out with a yearly release that I would gladly pick up.
FYI I wasn’t impressed with the Hight Country either.
Have a bottle of the Rocket Top rye which is very good. Would like to try either of these but probably will pass on buying a bottle due to the price.
Good review. Haven't seen these, yet. Really like other RE juice.
Paid 109$for the single malt yesterday
I've always wanted to try some Redwood
The Pixie Stick confession explains the brain damage! LOL!!
For me, I thought American single malt were supposed to be a cheaper alternative to Scotch single malts. Doesn’t seem that is the reality now. For me if I see these on sale at 70 bucks I’ll consider it but at these hundred dollar plus prices forget it.
Love just regular pipe dream it is very good.
I grabbed the Devil's Tower the other day. I'm a big rye fan, so this appealed to me. I'm doing a dry January, so I'll pop this in a few weeks. And after this, I'm looking forward to it. Thanks!
One of the best channels around if possible and you review or talk about Holladay distillers I cant find it anywhere and want to know if its worth a online order?
I feel a bit sorry for American Single Malts. It's a growing segment in whiskey but whiskey is on the decline. I'm not saying the bubble has burst but the market is seeing a major shift towards Tequila. I was in California in October and shop owners there consistently said Tequila is #1 and whiskey has really slowed down over the past year. Just today I was speaking with a shop manager in St. Louis and he said that 2 years ago sales were 70% bourbon. Now it's basically 50/50 Tequila and Bourbon. He felt that Tequila will be 70-80% of his sales within 5 years.
For those who are less apt at math, this is a seismic shift. Say things are 50/50 right now. To get to 70/30 that means bourbon drops 40% (not 20%). When you walk into a liquor store in the Midwest the allocated shelf and the shelf space for Whiskey is usually 2-3x larger than any other spirit. Sometimes a good half of the store is whiskey. If Tequila is selling like hot cakes, and tequila and most popular tequilas are 0-3 years of age you will have TONS of new producers pushing for shelf space that previously belonged to bourbon.
Why is this terrible for American single malt? Simple - there are to many "staple" bourbon, rye, Canadian, Irish, and Scotch whiskies demanding shelf space. Stocking more than 1-2 of the most popular American Single Malts won't make sense for the vast majority of stores.
So we will see this American Single Malt growth come and go VERY fast. If a craft distillery produces a good bottle of American Single Malt you like, I recommend getting some bunker bottles while you can.
Talk to shop owners and see what is selling outside of bourbon and where their business is growing. You might be shocked to find out that bourbon is not as booming as it feels when you can't find allocations on shelf you want. This is why I find the intentional allocation of Buffalo Trace products very silly. The brand is setting themselves up for some balance sheet issues in the next few years. They have tons of bottles and barrels that are ready to ship. They don't want to flood the market until they have their new warehouses stocked up. BT is slowly increasing prices but they will take MASSIVE price hikes as the demand for their product dwindles (because they have too much whiskey in reserve). Trust me, EHT will be a $60 MSRP bottle in 2025. Blanton's will head towards a $100 MSRP price tag in 2 years (and it's gross). The only bottle to be spared a price rush will be Buffalo Trace. To chase some cash and headlines you can expect to see a summer allocation series, like Emmer Wheat, but expanded into a multi product lineup that is all $300-500 per bottle. These won't actually be super high age statement (most likely NAS) but they will try to "win" the enthusiast dollars from competitors by having an expanded summer unicorn lineup.
Maybe I'm crazy, but from the first sip of the Devils Tower I catch taste I already tried. I found it - Ichiro's Malt and Grain World Whiskey Limited Edition (Blue label)! Very very similar for me.
I want to like American Single Malt. I think that's where things are headed. I just haven't cared much for what I've found. The price on this bottle is too steep for me to gamble on. Maybe I'll find someplace where I can get a pour.
Eclairs and long johns are essential donuts! The fudgy ganache on top, doughy, yeasty, donut filled with custard 🍮 mmmmmmmm’mmmmm
these are both amazing and there's ANOTHER one on the way.....
If it costs this much it better kick ass.
I special requested a bottle of the high rye a week ago, so fingers crossed.
Pipedream at my local TW&M is $27...look forward to tasting the Ryes.
Haven't tried either of these, but I've been impressed with every offering from Redwood that I've tried.
Redwood Empire is one of my favorites. looking forward to these. But speaking of Single Malts, have you tried anything from Westland? It's really good. Would be happy to send a sample if you haven't. let me know
I'll stick to Elijah Craig small batch till prices drop
It would be need to see a blind of the RE stuff if you can get the BIB and CS's
Trenton, you snorted pixie Styx,but, we’re afraid to put a few grains of cayenne on a canker sore!? Lol
how did your friend in California send you those bottles?
3:08 Trenton's learning from Kurt, rolling the glass like that. 🙂
5:01 Winchell's is even better than Dunkin'. But it's blasphemy to reject cream filled donuts. There's no better donut than a Bavarian cream. 🍩
11:05 Trenton, that's alcohol abuse! 😂
The people want an SLB donut review! Or a donut and whiskey pairing guide.
I’m really liking American Single Malts lately. At 100 that’s just a little too much for me to try.