Woodford Reserve Bourbon

Produced by the Woodford Reserve distillery in Kentucky. Its owner is the Brown-Forman Corporation, the same as Jack Daniel’s. In fact, Brown Forman, which had owned the distillery since 1941 – at that time, Labrot & Graham Distillery – sold it in 1973 to a farmer. And twenty years later he bought it back. Although Woodford and Jack Daniel’s are from the same family, the production of Woodford Reserve is different from Jack Daniels. Woodford's recipe is 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% barley malt. Therefore, Woodford has more rye than other bourbons and therefore has a slightly spicy flavor. Fermentation takes longer - six days compared to three days for other whiskeys. It is triple distilled in the distillery's own copper stills. A smaller portion undergoes column distillation at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. The alcohol content of the spirit is then reduced by up to 55% by mixing it with water from the stream that supplies the distillery, called Glenn’s Creek. The virgin barrels that mature Woodford are produced at Brown Forman Cooperage, which is also responsible for manufacturing those used by Jack Daniel’s. This allows the distillery to choose the best barrels to mature its bourbon. The maturation time is not clearly disclosed, but it is believed to be around seven years. Almost three years longer than most Jack Daniel’s. Additionally, Woodford can order barrels to any specification you desire. Woodford Reserve has a flavor of caramel, brown sugar, vanilla and spices that is different from other bourbons. Source: Cão Engarrafado website.

Review #7 - Whisk(e)y #4 Nose - after it got a bit of air, I have found the aromas of vanilla and honey to be very prominent, together with sweetness and a touch of oak. Palate - the higher alcohol level is quite noticeable, although not disturbing. The taste of vanilla and honey are still there, however the oakiness is amplified and the aroma of dark chocolate also appears, together with some slight pepperiness to it Finish - short-medium, with an interesting, dry, heavy, matte and leathery taste. I consider this to be a fairly good bourbon given my rather limited experience with this type of whiskey. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

This is the bourbon that started it all for me a little over two years ago. When I first tried this, I got nothing but ethanol. I don’t think I ever would have called this sweet. Two years later, alot has changed and my palate has come a long way. NEAT NOSE - Candy corn, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Honey, and Caramel PALATE - Decent mouthfeel; fairly viscous. Everything from the nose transfers over to the palate. The honey and vanilla are strong on this one. FINISH - Long. Candy corn sweetness and vanilla with a soft touch of oak. BUY? - This is a great beginner bourbon and is well balanced with good flavor. BUY AGAIN? - It makes a good whiskey sour. Otherwise, I’d prefer to buy the double oaked over buying this one again.

Total Score : 4.0 [Eng] [Nose] - Soft vanilla scent from start to finish. - Toffee - Sticky Scotchy candy scent. - A slight smell of caramel. - It has a slight fruity alcohol scent like Goryangju. - Woody [Palete] - Smooth - The presence of an oak scent is certain. - Deep woody scent. - Feels like wrapping tongue lightly. [Finish] - The moment the drink went over my neck, I felt softness. - No spicy. - Vanila - A rich, artificial banana scent. - Oak - Woody and sweet [Kor] [Nose] - 은은하게 부드러운 바닐라 향이 처음부터 끝까지 이어짐. - 토피 - 찐득한 스카치 캔디향 - 약간의 캐러멜향 - 고량주에서 나는 과일향같은 알코올 향이 살짝 있음. - 우디함. [Palete] - 매끄러움. - 오크향의 존재감이 확실함. - 진한 우디함. - 가볍게 감싸는 느낌. [Finish] - 부드러운 목넘김. - 스파이시함은 없음. - 바닐라향 - 인조 같은 진한 바나나향. - 오크향 - 우디하면서 달콤.

Price was for 1.75L bottle. Very slight alcohol burn; something subtly sweet right in the middle of the tongue bracketed by more toasty or somehow carbon-y (but not smokey the way Irish whiskey can be smokey - ie tasting of actual, in-your-mouth, just-inhaled smoke - but still somehow evoking the idea of smokey) flavors. And like, maybe tobacco (because that feels like a similar flavor, or at least one that exists somewhere in the neighborhood of the miscellaneous, mysterious, murky and all-together mystifying carbon-y realm of which I am aware but am as yet incapable of pinning down further)?

To me this one is pretty tame on the nose, nothing is really popping out to me. I am getting maybe a mild fruity, appley scent to it. On the palate, again not a ton of sweetness is sticking out to me. I enjoy the mouth feel to this one, though, it has a some decent volume to it, almost buttery in texture. As the sip progresses too, I get a bit of that peppery baking spice taste to it. The sip also lingers on the finish but Im really just getting a slow burn sensation, the flavors of this one really arent presenting themselves strongly. Not a bad sip but nothing to write home about.