Redwood Empire Whiskey - Meet Our Team

MEET Our Team

At Redwood Empire, whiskey making is both a craft and a discipline—guided by experience, curiosity, and a deep respect for the process. Our production team brings together technical precision and creative insight to produce spirits with complexity, balance, and integrity.

Master Distiller Jeff Duckhorn approaches every step of production with a sharp eye for detail and a deep understanding of process. With a background in accounting and a longstanding interest in fermentation, Jeff brings structure and consistency to distillation—carefully managing each variable to ensure quality and efficiency from grain to glass.

Master Blender Lauren Patz brings a creative sensibility and a finely tuned palate to her role. With more than a decade in the spirits industry and early experience working in a chocolate factory, Lauren crafts thoughtful blends that highlight nuance, balance, and character. Her work brings depth and expression to every bottle.

Jeff and Lauren lead a passionate team who contribute to every step of the journey—from raw ingredients to final blend. Meet the rest of our production team below.

JeffMASTER DISTILLER
Jeff Duckhorn has combined his wine country heritage with the mindset of a maker, be it bread, beer or kombucha, into a successful career as our Master Distiller. We think of him as an “accountant gone rogue”, since he originally started his career as a number cruncher, later signing on to explore new frontiers of spirits production. Jeff has been brewing for over twenty years, he has “always loved dabbling in fermentation and making all sorts of stuff at home.” Considering Jeff's natural talents, paired with his passion for whiskey, Jeff is now in a position where he clearly belongs. In his free time, you'll find him gardening, fishing, hiking, or camping with his family.
LAURENMASTER BLENDER
Lauren Patz grew up in the Napa Valley, the daughter of winemakers. From an early age she learned to love good food and drink. After teaching English in Japan and working at a chocolate factory she joined Spirit Works Distillery in 2013. Eventually taking the mantel of Head Distiller and the responsibility for all distillery operations and product development she discovered her true calling in craft spirit production. She has been a judge for the American Distilling Institute since 2017 and taught distillation seminars and workshops to forward her mission to act as a resource in the distilling community. Her distilling mantra is passion, palate, and patience.
TYLERLEAD DISTILLER
With over a decade of experience in ultra-premium distillation and wine manufacturing, Tyler brings a wealth of knowledge and attention to detail to our operations. After earning a degree in Viticulture & Enology from UC Davis in 2014, Tyler honed his production skills and palate in high end Napa Valley wineries before jumping at the opportunity to join the growing craft spirits industry where he has been ever since. Always the scientist, Tyler loves incorporating different grains into mash bills to test the sensory impact on resulting whiskies. Outside of the distillery, you can find him hunting for mushrooms in the rain, traveling the world, and drinking tea with a history book in his hand.
DylanHEAD DISTILLER
Dylan Carney has been distilling whiskey for the last 7 years on Mare Island. Before that he launched the first legal absinthe produced in Scotland while obtaining his Master's of Science in Brewing and Distillation. He is excited to grow with Redwood Empire and bring the Mare Island distillery to new heights of quality and production capacity. Outside of the distillery Dylan can be found experimenting in the kitchen, attending live music, and practicing yoga.
TYLERASSISTANT DISTILLER
Born and raised in Northern California, Tyler has had a passion for the outdoors, especially the Redwood Forests his whole life. After graduating from Humboldt State University, Tyler attended UC Davis Master Brewers Program then started working in the Brewing industry for close to ten years. Switching to Distilling was an exciting opportunity to learn new skills, and add a brewers knowledge and touch to the similar process of making spirit. When not honing his craft, Tyler enjoys hiking and backpacking, playing music, and enjoying the beauty of Mother Earth.
AmandaASSISTANT DISTILLER
Amanda joined the distilling world in 2023 after finding her love for craft spirits working behind the bar. Over the years she’s found herself in many interesting roles including training self-driving vehicles, coaching gymnastics, guiding outdoor educational trips in China, and even leading tour groups in North Korea. She’s now focusing her mindset of an explorer and eternal student on her love for distillation and craft spirits. Outside of the production floor, Amanda is a lifelong gymnast and enjoys camping, smoking boutique cigars, and binge watching Survivor.
MarkFACILITY MANAGER
ElliottBrand Manager
Elliott Sneen has been working in the wine and spirits marketing industry for well over a decade. He has helped establish brands large and small. Now as our Brand Manager, he continues to drive awareness and innovation at Redwood Empire. When he isn’t batching cocktails for our team, you’ll find him jogging throughout Sonoma County with his dog Olive.