The Woodford Reserve Distillery was the site of my first KBT tour. Everyone’s bourbon palate is different, but for me, this is one of my “go-to” and favorite bourbons. I’ve done my share of barrel picks and store pick reviews over the years, but this one had a unique story. Today, we take a look at Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Hy-Vee Central IL Barrel.
Double the Barrels - All the Flavor
Woodford Reserve traces its roots back to the Oscar Pepper Distillery, founded in 1812 along the banks of Glenns Creek in Versailles, Kentucky. Brown-Forman purchased the site in 1941, but later sold it, only to turn around and repurchase the site in 1993 to begin its Woodford Reserve line.
For ages, distillers sought to blend their product, whether from tens or hundreds of barrels, across the rickhouses, to arrive at a consistent final product. Temperatures vary as much as 20 degrees or more from the first floor of a rickhouse to its upper floor. As alcohol expands when heated, bourbons from an upper floor can age more “quickly” as they have more contact and movement into and out of the barrel staves. As a result, many distillers will blend whiskeys from multiple floors to result in the finished product.
That said, there is something unique about a “single barrel” product. The temperatures, air currents, and seasons it is exposed to can result in significantly nuanced products. It wasn’t until Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee released Blanton’s and introduced mainstream consumers to the uniqueness of bourbon from a single barrel.
When it comes to “barrel picking”, most distilleries allow purveyors to come onsite, meet with a master distiller or taster to determine what notes they’re seeking, and then taste from several barrels to finally arrive at their unique barrel.
Woodford Reserve is a little different … Here, the liquor department managers sampled from several barrels from various locations within the rickhouse to whittle it down to their 3 favorites. Those, in turn, were blended for the final store pick. Close to - but not exactly - a single barrel pick.
The Tasting
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked starts out as the traditional Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select bourbon, made from a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. It is aged approximately 6-7 years (no age statement is present).
Barrels are then dumped and the contents are placed in a heavily toasted, lightly charred oak barrel for another 12 months. For the backstory on how distillers arrived at a “double barreled” product, you can find information in our review of Old Forester 1910. The finished product is bottled at 90.4 proof in a squat, shouldered bottle.
Eye: Like most WRDO products, this is a beautiful, dark ocre color.
Nose: Warm and rich, with vanilla, marzipan, brown sugar, maple syrup, pie dough.
Palate: Decadent and desert-like with a creamy and silky mouthfeel. The oak notes are gentle, along with vanilla, brown sugar, almond pastry, and chocolate dipped almonds.
Finish: Medium-long and sweet, with toasted oak, vanilla, and baking spices.
Overall: Pure deliciousness. We cracked open this bottles at the holidays. Bourbon lovers and non-bourbon drinkers eagerly sampled from the bottle and all remarked at how exceptionally good this bourbon was. To Jason - our local Hy-Vee liquor manager - I raise a glass and give this pick/blend a resounding two-thumbs-up.