Redwood Empire 12 Year Old Port Finished Bourbon (Luekens Wine & Spirits) Quick Review

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My reviews tend to be long-winded and very in-depth. I know that many readers don’t have the time or patience to read them all. This is why I have decided to create a “Quick Review” format. I’m not going to cover backstories, distilling methods or anything like that if I know I’ve covered it in a previous review of a similar bottle. You’ll find that a lot of these quick reviews will be based on single barrel picks because their backstory is usually the same with the exception of the group that picked them.

At the end of 2019, Redwood Empire was churning out dozens of single barrels of MGP bourbon finished in various wine casks. These single barrels were special in the fact that they were all at least 12-years-old. MGP bourbon at that age was becoming more difficult to find, so enthusiasts were quick to buy them up – regardless of being finished or not.

Redwood Empire

Redwood Empire had just started distilling their own whiskey as of 2016. Their stuff wasn’t done maturing and they were still working out a national distribution strategy, but they needed some cashflow. Sourcing and selling barrels of extra-mature bourbon was a way to create some profit to keep their investors happy while also putting some respect behind their name.

The decision to finish these early releases was puzzling seeing as how the enthusiast community (who these bottles were primarily meant for) wasn’t exactly begging for more finished bourbon. They wanted the real stuff in its real form. A year or so later, Redwood would take the hint and release some 14-year-old single barrels of the same MGP bourbon without any finishes.

But the bottle I’m reviewing today is from the finished series and has seen extra time in a 60-gallon toasted French Oak cask that previously held Port Wine. The bourbon used was MGP’s low-rye mash bill (75/21/4 or “LESV” for the nerds). So how was it? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The first scents I’m finding are big, bold, robust grape notes. This has got to be the Port influence. These are followed by a heavy dose of oak. The whole nose stays delightfully sweet with brown sugar, éclairs and even some chocolate. It’s also ever so slightly nutty – something I actually wonder if it’s coming from the Port rather than the bourbon. Altogether, the nose is very heavy and pungent. 

Palate: Brown sugar sweetness mixes with the port wine flavors. I can’t tell whether it’s the Port or the bourbon that give off this sort of hot cinnamon vibe, but I’m guessing it’s the latter. Fruit notes come via sweet cherries and prunes. Anise and allspice round out the spice notes while cappuccino notes add a layer of creaminess. It’s very nice. 

Finish: Oak and oak spice both play on my tongue after the sip is complete with cinnamon, vanilla and ash lingering as well. Fruit notes mainly center around wine sediment, fig, grape and cherry notes. It lasts for a decently long time.

Score: 8/10

This bottle is complex, robust, and has a well-balanced finish. I worry sometimes when I find a Port-finished whiskey because it can be one of the more overwhelming finishing casks out there. The sweetness can become sickly and the underlying whiskey notes might disappear. None of that happened with this bottle and instead, I got an easy drinking bourbon that was easy to dip back into over and over again. What more could you ask for?