In 2013 I visited Woodford Reserve during a trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Located in Versailles, the distillery campus is situated on a very peaceful and beautiful landscape. The visitor center has a great long porch with rocking chairs on it where guests can relax and just a short hike down the hill allows for an interesting view of barrels rolling down tracks to their final rickhouse destination. There is a long history of various distilleries where Woodford Reserve is now located however the current distillery was only purchased and refurbished by Brown-Forman in 1993 and the Woodford Reserve brand entered the market in 1996. One of the unique things about Woodford is that the bourbon is triple distilled in copper pot stills unlike most bourbon which is only double distilled in a column still. Both triple distillation and the use of copper pot stills is very common in Irish Whiskey and this same technique used by Woodford separates it from the rest of the major bourbon brands. PRODUCT SPECS Whiskey Type -Bourbon Age - Approx. 7 years Mashbill - 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Barley Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 45.2% (90.4 proof)
Batch Number - 873 Bottle Number - 2479 NOSE Brown sugar Vanilla Cola Peach Light butterscotch
PALATE Cinnamon Cereal Burnt walnut Light oak With the addition of water Dark rye bread Bitter chocolate Light mint
FINISH The finish is short with a thin mouthfeel. Rye drives the short dry finish and a pleasant very light oak remains. FINAL IMPRESSIONS The nose on Woodford Reserve is very sweet and nice with a heavy dominating dose of brown sugar followed by classic vanilla and cola notes. With the addition of water both the nose and palate open up with a noticeable presence of rye aromas and flavor. Woodford Reserve finds a nice balance in the oak profile and I really enjoy the absence of overpowering oak tannins that can be found in many other bourbons. The finish is relatively thin and short and disappears quickly. This is probably due to the triple distillation process. Woodford Reserve could benefit from a slightly higher proof and it would be interesting to taste what a cask strength would offer. Overall I really enjoy Woodford Reserve. It is not as complex as the ultra premium brands but I consider it to be a nice sipper and a bourbon I recommend to people that are interested in getting into bourbon. Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select can be typically purchased in the mid $30 range. PRODUCT RATING 2.5 out of 5 RATING SYSTEM 0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming 1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas 2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value 3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed. 4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance 5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind
Quick Blog Note - I've decided to add half points to my rating scale so that I have a bit more flexibility in where exactly to place bottles relative to each other. It made sense to go down that path as many whiskies fall somewhere in between. In 2013 Four Roses celebrated their 125th anniversary by releasing this limited edition small batch bourbon. As with most of the limited releases by Four Roses, the 2013 release immediately became an impossible find and the bottles that did manage to reach the shelves were snatched up by bourbon enthusiasts... by the case. I had to wait for the European market allotment in early 2014 to get my hands on a bottle. On the back of the bottle is a paragraph explaining the 2013 release: "We're celebrating our 125th Anniversary with what our Master Distiller describes as 'what could be the best Bourbon we've ever put in a bottle.' This year's Barrel Strength Limited Edition Small Batch, created from 3 of our 10 distinct Bourbon recipes, welcomes you to the party with generous creamy vanilla, light oak and cherry cordial aromas. Bright splashes of raspberry and apricot greet the palate, giving way to subtle tones of nutmeg and cocoa. Then mellow flavors of cherry and vanilla bean define the long luxurious finish in such a way to make you wish you could toast our 125th every year for the next 125 or more. Cheers." The recipes: OBSV 18 years (featuring delicate fruit, spicy and creamy characteristics) OBSK 13 years (rich in spiciness, full body) OESK 13 years (spicy, full body)
PRODUCT SPECS Whiskey Type -Bourbon Alcohol By Volume (ABV) - 51.6% (103.2 proof)
Bottle Number - 10104 / 12468 NOSE Big cherry notes Vanilla Rose petal Light citrus (lemon & orange) Red cedar wood
PALATE Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Light Mint Light Oak Leather
FINISH The finish is long with an medium mouthfeel. The transition from palate to finish happens rather quickly and a nice oak flavor asserts itself throughout the long finish. FINAL IMPRESSIONS I must admit with all the buildup of this bourbon that at my first tasting I wasn't all completely blown away with the flavor profile. I guess it is one of those things where you set expectations really high based on all the raving reviews. That being said, the first thing I noticed about this bourbon right out of the gate was its amazing nose. I could sit and smell it all night. It has such a rich and beautiful aroma. Over time (many months) the bottle really began to open up and I started to truly appreciate the greatness of this bourbon. The addition of a single ice cube or a few drops of water is where Four Roses 125th really opens and flexes its muscles. I suspect that the high alcohol percentage was suppressing this bourbon. There is no doubt that the addition of water releases the flavor. The complexity in the palate along with the length of the finish and a truly amazing nose ranks this in the top tier of the bourbon world. PRODUCT RATING 5 out of 5 RATING SYSTEM 0 - hot dog water - nothing redeeming 1 - one dimensional - not complex and can be flat in areas 2 - entry level whiskey - a few highlights for a good value 3 - daily sipper - solid, well made product that is always enjoyed. 4 - big whiskey - complex layered flavors - amazing balance 5 - huge, exceptional, unique, one of a kind
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