Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Batch Proof 128.3

Nose: vanilla, burnt toast, over sweet cherries, ethanol Palate: creamy caramel and chocolate banana, followed with a hint of dried plum Finish: rye and black pepper spice, cinnamon, heavy oak char Great nose, good palate, finish is a touch harsh (even after considering abv). Seems like the high abv makes the palate much better after the first sip. This would be much higher rated if the finish lasted longer and didn’t seem like an intense amount of dry oak with black pepper. Add 3 drops of water and everything changes. The complexity of the nose is dulled and gets worse. The palate become a beauty of coffee cake, almonds and toffee. The finish turns into a slightly less char heavy black pepper and cinnamon fading to spearmint and honey. Is this better? I think the nose is worse and the palate and finish are better but the finish remains extra dry. Value: B-, I want to be clear. This is still a very good bourbon, but for living in the US, I expect an amazing bottle for over $100 and this doesn’t live up to it. If you want a bourbon that makes you feel like your teeth dig into the char of the barrel, here’s your finish.

Loved the double oaked Woodford put out so this was definitely next on the menu. Hard to come by around me and a little pricey, buy so worth the hunt. Neat: Proof is pretty evident, but after a few sips things got much better. Maple and/or molasses can easily be detected on the nose. Tasting notes provided a plethora of characters consisting of cherry, oak, rye, and leather with vanilla subtleties. The finish was fairly long and was reminiscent of cherry candy with a touch of spice. Ice block: Muted the maple, but rather got vanilla on the nose. Taste was mostly leather, spice, and everything nice. Subtle vanilla as well. The block definitely put the flames out, but removed some of the flavors you get neat. Overall this was quite amazing and I no doubt will take my time with it. Woodford put in quite the effort here. A+

Wife bought this bottle to celebrate my son being born. Finally got to crack it! Tasted neat in a Glencairn rested all of .25 seconds to take a picture before getting into it Nose: vanilla, orange, cherry coke, caramel, ethanol Palate: gooey caramel, black cherry, candied cherry, molasses, remnants of sticky cherry coke, brown sugar. This is an absolute cherry caramel bomb!! This feels rich in the mouth, and has plenty of spicy fruit that doesn’t let you forget just how proofy this gal is. Finish: ethanol burn on the front half of my tongue, bold spicy citrus in the back of the throat, dark corn syrup and vanilla/caramel in the very end. This has a long sweet oily finish.

Nose- Chocolate, vanilla, caramel cream, oak, barrel char It is a traditional Woodford nose, but punched up a notch. Was surprised by the heat. Even though it is a barrelproof, Woodford is not known for being a bit hot and ethanol in any of their iterations. Palate- the palate stays true to the nose with chocolate and caramel taking front and center. Adding a little water brings out a touch of cinnamon spice and pepper. Dare I say, kind of like Mexican hot chocolate? Finish- abundance of oak and a bit bitter. The smokey flavor also lingers. Drinks to its high proof. My least favorite part. Overall- missed its mark for me.

One of the best high proof whiskeys I’ve tasted. Also, because I’m a cheapskate, tied for one of the most expensive bottles I’ve ever bought. Was super hesitant, but thought “what the hell? How often am I really going to get to try this...?” Was one hell of a decision. Huge spicy fruit with that sexy burn reminiscent of a well aged bookers in the nose. Immediately pounds the tongue with spiced caramel but evens out into a long smooth finish. Could tell it’s a high proof but a masterfully made high proof... now the challenge is not drinking the whole bottle all at once.

Nose: Good nose with some floral notes. Pallet: Mix of sweet notes with a good mouth feel and vaococity. The flavor and heat does linger. Finish: The flavor continues and ends with a spicy heat. Woodford comes on super strong and then let’s up at the last second to make it really enjoyable. Almost to much flavor. Bottle need a little time to breathe in my opinion so I’m looking forward to the second pour in a couple weeks.