Bin110 Brings Master Distiller Jeff Duckhorn of Redwood Empire to Lake Norman!
As many of you know, I like to take tasting events to the next level. One of the ways we do this is by bringing industry leaders from around the country to Bin 110 for a hands-on guided experience.
This past March, I had the privilege of welcoming someone very special to Bin 110 — Jeff Duckhorn, the Master Distiller behind Redwood Empire Whiskey. I've been a fan of what Redwood Empire is doing for a long time, and when the opportunity came to bring Jeff out to Lake Norman all the way from California, I jumped at it.
Napa/Sonoma County California usually means serious wine business — and you might even recognize that Jeff's last name is synonymous with a legendary Napa vineyard. But what I've found is that my wine industry friends on the West Coast love their whiskey and spirits just as much — and Redwood Empire is producing some damn fine juice.
Jeff was in the room all evening, and I was right there with him. Together we walked our guests through six exceptional expressions — a lineup you'd be hard pressed to find at other venues throughout North Carolina, let alone see together on a single tasting mat. Between the two of us, we dug into the stories, the barrel philosophy, and the craft behind every bottle that comes out of Redwood Empire's Northern California operation. When you can hear it straight from the man who made it, the whiskey just hits different.
The Lineup: Six Elevated Pours
Here's what we worked through that evening:
Grizzly Beast Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon — Structured, precise, and built to the exacting standard of the BIB designation. A genuine benchmark.
Devil's Tower High Rye Bourbon — More spice, more complexity. The high rye mash bill gives this one a personality that stands out.
Van Duzen Straight Rye — A full rye expression that's assertive without being overly aggressive.
Cask Strength Pipe Dream Bourbon — No water added, no apologies. Big, rich, and exactly what cask strength bourbon should be.
Cask Strength Lost Monarch Bourbon — One of Redwood Empire's most celebrated bottles, at full proof. Remarkable.
Cask Strength Emerald Giant Rye — A cask strength rye that showcases the full range and ambition of this distillery.
From bottled-in-bond structure all the way through to bold cask strength intensity — this lineup told the full story of what Redwood Empire is capable of.
If you missed this one, keep an eye on our Tastings & Events page — we're always working on what's next. And if Redwood Empire caught your attention, several of their expressions are available on our whiskey list.