PIPE DREAM TOASTED BOURBON WHISKEY

TRIPLE FINISH

Reflecting our exploratory approach to whiskey production, we have played with the impact of oak influence since our beginnings in 2015. A variety of cooperages, barrel treatments, char levels, toast levels, and American white oak from different forests across the country were all tested with the goal of finding the perfect fit for our Redwood Empire style.

A decade into producing whiskey, we have mastered the flavor profiles of our core offerings. We use Char Level 3, toasted barrels with seasoned staves aged 24–36 months. The char provides a method of filtration, mellowing and purifying the spirit. Toasting caramelizes the wood components pre-extraction, giving the whiskey its rich caramel-vanilla softness. Seasoning barrel staves leaches out harsh tannins and facilitates the breakdown of lignin, increasing access to wood sugars. Choosing to let our staves season for 24–36 months is over 4x the industry standard and critical for our whiskies’ approachability.

Once we established our house standards, we kept exploring the impact of oak, since it provides nearly 70% of a whiskey’s final flavor.

Over the last year, we took our award-winning, four-grain, Pipe Dream Bourbon and experimented with finishes across three unique toasted oak types: French Oak, Hungarian Oak, and Garryana Oak.

Sampling the progression of oak influence across each allowed us to define the flavor profiles developed by each species.

• French Oak provides additional notes of creamy vanilla and subtle sweetness.
• Hungarian Oak imparts bright nuttiness and hints of earth.
• Garryana Oak, a white oak native to Oregon, delivers bold tannins and notes of black pepper.

Approachability and balance are our mission; we didn’t want an over-the-top oak profile (like many other options on the shelf). So, we decided to marry all three finishes together to create intentional, nuanced layers of complexity.