Sonoma County California-based distiller Redwood Empire will quickly be getting a brand new base of operations on Mare Island, the peninsula positioned on San Pablo Bay in Vallejo, California on the southern finish of Napa Valley. Redwood’s proprietor Purple Manufacturers as we speak introduced the acquisition of Mare Island-based Savage & Cooke Distillery from California vintner Dave Phinney, with a plan to make use of the distillery to increase manufacturing of Redwood Empire, which has risen to 55,000 9-liter instances within the U.S. and is rising at about 30% yearly. Phrases weren’t disclosed.
“We would been working with Dave and Savage & Cooke for years, producing some further merchandise to help our stock,” Purple Manufacturers CEO Aaron Webb instructed Whisky Advocate sister publication Shanken Information Day by day. “It contains a number of thousand barrels of stock, which we’d like for Redwood Empire. Out of the gate, we’ll be capable to make between 2,500-3,000 barrels at Savage & Cooke, and we will increase that with further fermentation capability to as a lot as 7,000-9,000 barrels down the highway.”
The deal contains the distillery on Mare Island, in addition to the Savage & Cooke whiskey model, which is at present at round 5,000 instances. The distillery homes a tasting room, restaurant, and personal occasion area, which Purple goals to leverage to introduce extra customers to Redwood Empire.
Redwood Empire is thought for Pipe Dream Bourbon and Emerald Big Rye (each $35 a 750-ml.) and likewise contains plenty of restricted releases similar to Grizzly Beast and Rocket Prime bottled in bond whiskeys, Screaming Titan wheated bourbon, and a Haystack Needle grain-to-glass barrel program. Most just lately, the model debuted a higher-proof Pipe Dream 101 ($55), which has been effectively acquired. It’s at present making its whiskey at a vineyard in Graton, California in Sonoma County. About two-thirds of its liquid is own-make, with the rest sourced from MGP and Bardstown Bourbon Co.
“We launched Redwood Empire throughout Covid, and our technique initially was to do it within the on-premise,” Webb famous. “Then after all the world modified and we shifted the launch of Redwood into the chains and into off-premise, and we have had numerous success there. In 2025, we’re going to place an unlimited focus in the direction of on-premise efforts to essentially shift again into that setting with the model too.”
Different objects within the Purple Manufacturers portfolio, the Raeburn wine model is constant to see robust development, projected to method 250,000 instances this yr on an 11% enhance. “The Chardonnay is a extra mature SKU, and we even have a Pinot Noir from Raeburn that is very profitable,” mentioned Webb. “A yr and a half in the past we additionally launched a Sonoma County Cab ($25). That product is on fireplace, nonetheless rising over 20% and gaining floor rapidly.”
Purple Manufacturers was based by trade veteran Derek Benham and has an annual quantity of 400,000 instances. Its different spirits model in addition to Redwood Empire is D. George Benham’s Gin. Wines embrace Raeburn, Scattered Peaks, and Avalon, amongst others.
