Redwood Empire – Lost Monarch

Quick Stats:

Distiller: Redwood Empire

Spirit: Blend of Straight Whiskeys

Aged: 3+ years

Price: Around $34.99

Proof: 90

Redwood Empire Website

About The Distillery
“Redwood Empire is more than a cool name, its our home and a source of inspiration. With John Muir as our guide, protecting our environment has become our mantra. We have built sustainability into everything we do.

Our still allows us to distill in a single pass, preserving both water and energy. Local farmers use our nutrient rich mash as feed for livestock. And our state of the art water reclamation facility assures only pure water re-enters our water table.”

About The Bottle
“Named after the world’s largest coastal Redwood, Lost Monarch whiskey has a name to live up to. An award winning bourbon-rye blend with an exceptional balance of sweetness and spice. The perfect choice for those who just can’t decide between rye or bourbon, we call it the best of both worlds.”

  • Nose
    (3)
  • Palate
    (3.5)
  • Finish
    (3)
  • Heat vs Proof
    (3)
  • Value
    (3.5)
3.2

Notes & Review

Nose: The first scent is bold and full of rye funk, leaning you into the perception that the rye whiskey may overtake the bourbon in the palate. However, the heavy rye is opens up into some sweeter flavors like cinnamon spice, honey clove, and vanilla spice before subtle tones of torched oak bleed through.  

Palate: Young sweet corn is heavy on the front of the palate, which is expected for something around three years. After, there is a rye spiced note that pulls through that slowly fades throughout the rest of the taste. However, the rest of the palate is uncomplex with a bit of vanilla spice, simple syrup, and light citrus.

Finish: Pepper and torched oak pull through at the end with the returning notes of rye funk, vanilla spice, and the slightest hint of honey clove. 

 

Review: The pour is solid, straight forward, and doesn’t throw any real curveballs your way. 

For the blend being higher in rye, one might expect a kick of rye spice to come through. However, it never does. The palate stays more towards that malty/funky rye profile while slightly veering back towards some more subtle sweeter notes likely coming from the bourbon part of the blend. 

While you may notice the lack of rye heat, you also have to keep in mind that the pour is also only 90 proof, making it an easy drink straight. 

While many younger bourbons drink hotter than their proof, this one sits exactly where you’d expect for something lower proof. 

While we enjoyed the pour, we’re also excited to see what this could blossom into with a few more years in the barrel. 

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User Review
3.5 (2 votes)

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