Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Oat Grain Kentucky Bourbon

Tasted at a friend's a few nights ago (along with several others). Nose - started with chewing tobacco, seasoned wood (but different from the typical bourbon oak note), leather, and baking spices. With some breathing time the tobacco faded and the wood/spices became more prominent. Really unique nose, hard to describe but I liked it. Palate - Followed expectations from the nose, except drier than I expected, without the sweetness that most Woodford expressions tend to have. Some sweetness did show up just before the finish, just not as much as I expected. Mouthfeel was a bit thin. Medium finish was dry but without a lot of bitter tannins. I didn't get the 'oatmeal cookie' flavors that Woodford talks about in their marketing materials, which was a little disappointing because that sounds really good. Overall I liked this a fair bit, it was really unique. A bit drier on the palate than I might prefer, but still enjoyable; and the unique flavor profile was a nice change of pace. At $110-130 I think it's substantially over-priced, unfortunately. I'd probably pay $75-ish for it just due to the uniqueness.

Nose: Deep rich sweetness, molasses, caramelized sugar, black pepper, gingerbread, warm oak. There's a great little dusty note that instantly takes you to a rickhouse on a hot Kentucky summer day...a good sign of expectations to come. Palate: First notes are maple syrup, vanilla, sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls. Progressively moving into spicier territory, peppercorns, baking spices, hints of wintergreen. The finish is shorter than I'd like, but the minty tingle remains. All in it's very smooth and almost gentle....this is where I feel the Oat comes in. Thoughts: This is a great bourbon, it drinks easily and I would be happy to have this as an everyday drinker. Great nose, great palate, mild finish. Unfortunately, it's the price that holds it back a little. Woodford's own Double Oaked Bourbon comes in at nearly half the price and has all the similar notes, albeit with some extra spice from the inclusion of the additional Rye that has been replaced with Oat here. Personally, a nice to have collector's bottle.

90.4 proof. One of the 2 Master’s Collection releases this Autumn from Woodford Reserve. This is the Oat Grain Bourbon 66% Corn, 18% Oat, 4% Rye, and 12% Malt. This is one of the bottles I bought while hanging out in Southwest Florida this week, and I decided to throw out a review as this thunderstorm rolls through. N: Maple, brown sugar, vanilla, applesauce, fresh oak, lemongrass, cinnamon, and yes - some oatmeal. P: Creamy chocolate initially, pears, apple, vanilla, lightly astringent. F: Cocoa, lightly astringent, tannic, lemon, toasted oak. This caught me off guard. It has some elements of a fruity Speyside Scotch or Irish whisky. I’m really not a fan of this, but it is fairly unique. It does seems to be a well-balanced concoction as well. No aspect is overpowering. I can see some people really enjoying this and others not so much. I’m in the “not so much” group, but it’s doable. I wouldn’t purchase another bottle to drink for sure. Cheers!

On the nose: flat cola and hints of citrus (in addition to the always present caramel and vanilla). On the tongue: one of the smoothest starts, tastes of cola and caramel, and so smooth it leaves through the back room without bothering anyone else. I can see why so many reviews say this is so easy to drink neat; I agree. When I added a little water I noticed the oat. As others noted, this is a pricey bourbon. I'd buy it for the novelty and drinkability, but not for the drinkability alone. Without regard for the retail price, this is a really nice bourbon. Good job, Woodford team!

Another great entry from woodford, almost showing noted from cask finished whiskies. Nose: Sweet Honey, carmalized marmalade and ginger. Taste: Sweet upfront of cola funk that rolls into burnt toast and roasted peanuts. Overall a solid medium bodied whiskey that dries quickly leaving your mouth ready for another. Very intriguing style of whiskey. Keep drinking friends... Skol!

Pulled this one out of the cabinet after not having it for almost a year. You can definitely pick up the different grain on both the nose and the palate. Becomes more pronounced when you add ice. Not going to make my top bourbons list, but I appreciate the different twist (I could say that about a lot of the Master’s Collection Woodford i.e Cherry Wood, Chocolate Malted, etc.).