Redwood Empire Devils Tower High Rye Bourbon

Classification: High Rye Bourbon
Distillery: Undisclosed
Mashbill: 51% Corn, 45% Rye, 2% Wheat, 2% Malted Barley
Age: NAS but at least 5 Years
Proof: 99

Nose: First whiff? Honey sweetness, cherry candy, and apple juice — like somebody packed dessert for the trail ride. Then the rye starts crackling like the firewood: cloves, lightly burnt caramel, a little fresh orange zest, and cedar drifting through the smoke. There’s even a subtle toasted bread note, like someone forgot their sandwich a little too close to the flames.

The alcohol vapor? Just enough to remind you this isn’t apple cider.

Taste: It eases in light at first — black tea, honey, apple juice, dry oak — real “let’s not scare the wildlife” energy. Then the rye spice creeps up like that one log that suddenly pops and sends sparks flying. A little Earl Grey vibe joins the party, classy but still outdoorsy.

It’s sweet up front, spice in the back — like roasting marshmallows with a pocketknife in your boot.

Finish: Now here’s where it builds. Capsaicin heat grows slow and steady, dry oak and a hint of smoke roll through, and that spice lingers on your tongue like campfire stories that get better every time you tell ’em. There’s even a little cherry candy encore before the moderate burn settles into a deep, cozy warmth.

Overall: Redwood Empire calls it “the perfect blend of spicy and sweet,” and I’ll be darned if it doesn’t deliver. The rye doesn’t hog the spotlight — it just adds that crackling spice when the moment’s right. The sweetness up front keeps everything friendly and balanced.

Complex? Yep.
Versatile? Absolutely.