haystack needle single barrel

Redwood empire was one of the first whiskey brands that captured my fascination. I still to this day consider the brand's cask strength lineup to occupy a formidable place on the quality, accessibility, and availability matrix, even though my drinking tenure has gravitated more toward the realm of legacy distilleries. And not for nothing, but the label designs are second to none. Despite Redwood Empire being a craft distillery out of California, one of the first "local whiskey fables" I heard was of the Haystack Needle pick by a local independent liquor store staple from years before I dove into any sort of depth with whiskey. It was talked about in a mythological way, some folks even equating it to staggering bottles like William Larue Weller.

That bottle managed to evade me, which isn't surprising given that it was a single barrel run from several years prior. I believe at that time, the gimmick was a selection of different finishing casks and in my understanding, the Trevor's pick was port finished. Every time I looked into whether Redwood Empire would do subsequent Haystack Needle runs, it seemed like years since that last one and I started to lose hope. Then, while talking to other whiskey folks at Total Wine one morning in December, a gentleman mentioned that Trevor's had a new Haystack Needle on the shelf. I missed any news of it entirely, which often happens having a revulsion toward social media.

I drove into the city that afternoon, eager to snag a bottle and possibly even a duplicate for my best friend. To my disappointment, the employee I approached about it said that they sold the last of them a few hours earlier. She offered me a few samples of some of their Dark Arts Whiskey House picks as consolation -- I'm sure they were enjoyable, but all I could think was that I missed Haystack Needle yet again, after all that eagerness for the announcement of another single barrel run from the distillery. Before I walked out of the store, I perused the counter behind the registers as I usually do. That same employee came up to me, glee in her voice and said, "Look what I found." She plunged her hand behind a wall of Booker's boxes and slid not one, but two Haystack Needle bottles into view.

The first thing I will say is that the bottle itself -- the actual glass -- is elegant beyond words. There are ridges and dips in the glass that make it appear like tree bark. The gimmick for this single barrel run seems to be "grain to glass." Initially, I wasn't totally clear on what that meant exactly, but it seems to consolidate four distinct production choices: grains sourced locally to the distillery from family-owned farms in the Sacramento valley, small lot ferments at only 4 barrels per day, barrel staves seasoned for no fewer than 36 months and then toasted and charred (level 3), and finally slow and even aging in the Redwood Empire. One final small detail that I appreciate: The label lists the water source for the whiskey production, the Russian River aquifer in this case. A hipsterish addition, you could argue, but I think it's fun. I will never say no to more information. 

Nose The aroma is dominated by butterscotch and cinnamon raisin bread. There are whispers of cigar leaf and only the subtlest hints of some younger flavors such as spun sugar. It is a noteworthy first impression, especially because I expect some elements of this aroma to come from 10 year bourbon, if not 12 year. Very minor ethanol, but it is present.

Palate The front palate is exceptionally sweet. Toasted caramel and marshmallow fluff, and an effervescent vanilla like cream soda. Some more punchy baking spices develop on the mid palate and really bloom right before the finish. Cinnamon transfers from the nose along with a fig jam texture. The deep palate also boasts a jolt of rye spice.

Finish A saccharine sweetness lingers and the bubbliness from the palate lingers well into the finish. Cream soda is the name of the game with this one. The finish has respectable stamina, but that comes with a bit more heat than the proof would suggest.

Notes I will start with some honesty: This is not my preferred profile. It is a delectably sweet, classic bourbon punch that I can appreciate, but don't typically seek out. Having said that, in that realm of bourbon, this whiskey has no right being as high quality and formidable as it is. I could see folks that lean more into this profile mythologizing this bottle like the last time Redwood Empire did a Haystack Needle run. One thing I am excited about is that, in my understanding, this is their own distillate with 8 years of age on it -- and I'm already getting flavors that surpass that profile you'd expect at that age. If Redwood Empire keeps putting this level of care and conscientiousness into their distillate, and further aging trends toward developing those bolder & older flavors, then I remain excited to see where the brand goes in years to come.