Woodford Reserve Distillery Series Double Double Oaked 2019

Tasted alongside their standard offering and double oaked at the distillery. The WR high-rye backbone is apparent throughout. The original double oaked ha the strongest nose and the double double wound up with the most subdued nose. Color progression from standard WR up to this demonstrated a step toward darker honey with the double double having an almost red-honey hue. If WR is rye bread, apples, peaches, cut grass and pepper with a bit of leather then double oaked is butterscotch, rye roll, cinnamon, toasted almonds and a bit of oak char. This, double double is their standard mashbill aged 5-8? years and then left in a new heavily toasted (40min), lightly charred new oak barrel for 2 years rather than 8-12 months. Start to finish the mash goes into copper still #1 and by #3 comes off at 158 proof. It’s then diluted to 110 for barreling. Again, the only difference between off the shelf double oaked and this double double offering is an additional 12mo in the second, newly toasted barrel. Nose again is subdued with rye bread backbone, less butterscotch and a whiff of herbal tea. It reminds me a lot of Willett in that sense. The palate is full of oak, dusty nutmeg, marzipan, tobacco and a soft rye, butterscotch and cherry finish. Fantastic stuff but I do wish the finish was longer and the mouth feel heavier as others have noted. At $50 for a 375 it’s pricy but against a Willet product is comparably priced for a simile profile. It’s years beyond their standard offering and sure to please anyone who likes their double oak. Admittedly I bought 2... maybe I’ll have more impulse control next year?

Nose: Butterscotch rolls with cinnamon sugar, toasted almonds, caramel sauce, vanilla essence and musky oak. Palate: Woody and caramel on the arrival. Vanilla, leather, and rye-derived baking spices appear in the development (cinnamon, nutmeg, caraway, fennel) and dried cherries and almonds emerge later. The texture is chewy with an interesting balance between tannin and oil, but it is not bitter and has good weight. Finish: Medium/short. Spicy/sweet woody notes, a little gripping but not astringent or hot. I enjoyed this bourbon a good deal more than I had expected. It has complexity and progresses through waves of development and does not show an overemphasized woody character. On the contrary, it is more refined and subtle than the WR Double Oaked expression. If anything it seems more like an amplified version of the introductory level Reserve Bourbon. Very pleasant, good when neat and it also takes water well, developing a little more sweetness. This is probably my favourite of the distillery’s 90.4 proof expressions. It is not ordinarily available in Australia and was provided as a special tasting at the Whisky Show. Tasted at the Sydney Whisky Show, 15 May 2021, my tasting #15 “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

WR Double Oaked was an early favorite of mine, and I have long since wanted to get my hands on this extra special rendition. Alas! Nose - brown sugar for days, so sweet, marzipan, cherry, and...brownie batter? Mouth - warm, syrupy, sweet, oaky tannins. WOAH sudden savory smoked meat (what?)! Like buttery rendered pork fat fresh off the smoker. Finish - smooth, no heat, so sweet. Okay, so maybe I’ve been drinking a little, but I’m not kidding about the surprise savory notes that came out of nowhere. I’m gonna attribute that to the smokey/woodiness coming from the extra time in the second toasted barrel. 5/5 for excitement and uniqueness, 4/5 because it's significantly sweeter than I'd normally prefer, so let's split the difference. Man this one was fun, let’s go again!

Did you know that the great Woodford Reserve has a whiskey called Double Double oak? Well let me tell you about its notes: On the nose, i get fancy, woody redfruits. Hay straws, strawberry juice, critic peels and Coffee beans. Very fruity and fresh. Lots of chocolate; powdery chocolate. On the palate, i get strawberry jam, strawberry juice, metallic. Spicy pepper. It is really good! Powdery chocolate. Aftertaste is all about a nice bite, a little cereal, chocolate y tobacco. It is like chocolate mixed with burnt grass & cigars. Red fruits. Overall i gave the balance the perfect score, even though if i feel it wasn't perfect (but really good) on the nose, palate and aftertaste. The balance, the overall feeling of it was incredible. My score for this beauty is 94 over 100.

Nose: rich caramel and surprisingly not much oak. Mouth: 90 proof makes it very mild and smooth. Somewhat oily and rich. Palate: where the nose lacks oak, you get it immediately on the palate. Oak fades into more rich caramel (think werthers candies). Finish: moderate. Lingering taste of oak but finish also reveals notes of vanilla and butterscotch. Rating: 4.25 of 5. Nose is incredible, taste is great, mouth feel is lacking. Would benefit from being creamier/more oily. Would still pay retail $50 for the 375ml bottle

Nose- Candied almonds, musty oak, caramel, vanilla, strawberry jam Palate- Wave of dusty oak, cherries, caramel, bitter almonds Finish- Medium, drying finish with notes of oak, caramel, and sweet fruits This surprised me in a great way. I was expecting an overpowering amount of oak, but it’s perfectly balanced. Lovely, sweet nose, with unique flavors of strawberry jam and almonds. The palate introduces a heavy amount of oak, with deep cherry notes and caramel. The finish could be longer, but this whiskey is great.