In this blind review, we (Matt & Gio) hang out and taste a mystery pour with the label hidden to keep things as unbiased as possible. I start on the nose and immediately get hit with this wild “permanent marker” vibe—like the ones you weren’t supposed to smell as a kid, but somehow they made them smell good anyway. From there it turns earthy, with a generic citrus that reminds me of opening lime Jell-O powder, plus a salty, sandy, coastal-air kind of note that keeps popping up. On the palate, the whiskey comes in spicier than the nose, but it’s smoother than I expected. I’m getting a big black pepper note, then it shifts into a sweeter, creamy moment with a strong herbal character—rosemary/thyme territory—and that herbal earthiness stays consistent into the finish. The finish isn’t super creamy and it doesn’t really coat the throat, but the spice hangs around in my cheeks and the roof of my mouth. Once we reveal the bottle, it clicks: it’s Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Straight Rye. We score it using our 10-point system (nose /3, taste /5, finish /2), and while I liked it, I also think this rye could make a really solid Old Fashioned since it isn’t overly sweet on its own.