The Woodford Reserve Distillery is where my bourbon journey began. It was here that I first stood in a multi-story rickhouse, inhaled the angels’ share deeply, and exclaimed, “THIS is nice”. While we’d stopped by to shop on occasion, it was time to share a traditional distillery tour with our son-in-law and bourbon-sidekick daughter. Today, we took in the Woodford Reserve Distillery for a tour and tasting.
Bragging Rights
Nearly every distillery tour comes with a claim of being the oldest distillery or the oldest continuously operating distillery, and so on. While the claims are mixed and steeped in story and legend, there’s no denying that the location now occupied by Woodford Reserve is truly historic.
Bourbon has been produced at the site in Woodford County since 1812.It was here that Dr. James Crow first introduced science to the distilling business, introducing the sour mash process to produce a more consistent flavor profile. He checked the strength of the white dog with a hydrometer, whereas many just shook the jar to view the beads and guess the distillate proof. He used a saccharimeter to check acid and sugar levels. And it was Crow that sought to distance the livestock roaming the distillery (most distillers didn’t want to haul the spent mash far) so that more consistent yeast strains could be introduced in the mash.
The site of the modern distilling operations was the original site of the Oscar Pepper Distillery, which later changed hands and became the Labrot and Graham Distillery in the 1870s. Earlier bottles of Woodford Reserve carried the words Labrot and Graham on the label as a nod to the former distillery. Today, you can still see the L&G initials on the smokestacks for the boilers at the distillery that was acquired by Brown-Forman in 1941. After selling the property in the 1960’s in bourbon’s dark days, the property was repurchased in 1993 and by 1996, the Woodford Reserve premium brand was introduced.
The Tour
One of the reasons I like the tour at Woodford Reserve is that guests can experience all the major stages of the distilling process up close. At some distilleries, you’ll only see rickhouses, at others, only the mashing and distilling. At Woodford Reserve, you’ll pretty-much see it all.
You’ll begin the 70-minute tour in the original Visitor’s Center. In the last couple of years, a new cocktail experience has been added across the road, where visitors can enjoy a drink or a light snack. The gift shop inside the Visitor’s Center contains the usual variety of spirits from the Woodford lineup. Occasionally, you may be lucky enough to stumble into a distillery-only release, such as their Chocolate Malt Whisper, Honey Barrel Finish, or Toasted Oak Four Grain. Ok, so maybe we have stopped in a time or two. Suffice it to say, reservations are highly, highly recommended. You can check out some more tips on distillery tours here.
The tour begins with a quick bus ride down to the mashing and distilling area. Here, we’re introduced to some bourbon basics, including the usual: what makes bourbon, bourbon, and the importance of the grains, yeast, water, and aging.
A short flight of stairs to the second floor (also reached via a small elevator) allows a peek into the two-story cypress fermentation tanks. Here, we saw tanks full of sweet, cooked grains, at various stages of fermentation. On this tour, we were again offered a quick dip of a finger to sample the mash. Don’t worry - the mash will be sufficiently cooked and distilled to 160 proof ensuring your finished product is safe for consumption.
Our tour continues as we move to the room next door and are introduced to the 6 copper pot stills. When we last visited, there were only 3 stills. Starting in 2021, and completed in the summer of 2022, a $110 million expansion added 3 more copper stills, additional fermentation tanks, a grain unloading area, a barrel unloading area, and a conference and training center for employees.
A short walk outside to a rickhouse followed. We were able to catch a glimpse of the barreling operation and caught the rail system in use, watching employees easily spin, maneuver, and send 500 pound barrels of fresh distillate on their way to age for the next several years.
Now, we’ve entered the stone Warehouse C that dates to the early 1890s. Each time I pour a glass of this spirit, I envision it aging in one of these 135 year-old rickhouses. In reality, though, my bourbon was probably aged in one of the new 55,000 barrel warehouses on the hill that overlooks the original site. The smell can only be called heavenly. The air is sweet with vanilla and light oaks. I’m working up a thirst, so it’s time to head back to the Visitor’s Center to enjoy our tasting.
The Tasting
The bus delivers us back to the Visitor’s Center where our tour began. We slip into a side door for our tasting in front of the gas fireplace. We’re greeted by four spirits and a heavenly bourbon ball from Ruth Hunt Candies. Before we get into the tasting, I’ll say again, these are some of my very favorite bourbon balls. I’ve tried others and they’re good, but there is something about these that strike my palate well - especially when paired with their signature spirit. Today, we sampled regular Woodford Reserve, Woodford Reserve Rye, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and a pre-mixed Woodford Spire cocktail, along with a bourbon ball candy.
Woodford Reserve
This is one bourbon that has definitely grown on me. On my first visit, I fell in love with the Double Oaked and its rich notes. As time has gone by (and bourbon prices have continued to increase), the regular Woodford Reserve has become a very enjoyable and special pour. Beginning with a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. The resulting distillate is aged for 7-8 years before being bottled at 90.4 proof. This smells just like a rickhouse we toured earlier. Vanilla is the prominent note, followed by layers of caramel, marzipan, and toasted nuts. Subsequent sips bring forth more of the nearly 200 flavors found in this bourbon, including lightly toasted marshmallow and doughy graham crackers. The wood and spice are less prominent, but balance nicely with the sweet vanilla.
Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey
Part of the four grain lineup from Woodford that includes corn (their regular bourbon), wheat (Woodford Reserve Wheat Whiskey), and malted barley (Woodford Reserve Malt Whiskey). Unlike many rye whiskeys that are 90+% rye, this is a softer modern rye whiskey, with a mash bill of 53% rye, 33% corn, and 14% malted barley. There is vanilla up followed by spearmint and spice. While I’m not a traditional rye whiskey drinker, similar to its cousin Old Forester Rye, this is a “bourbon-drinkers rye whiskey”.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Love at first sip on my first distillery tour at Woodford Reserve, this is dessert-in-a-glass. Aged Woodford Reserve bourbon is placed in a second, lightly toasted barrel to age for several additional months. The result is rich and velvety, with sweet vanilla and oak blended together with chocolate. Paired with the Ruth Hunt Bourbon Ball, this is truly heavenly. I’ve used this particular bourbon, paired with the same bourbon ball, to conclude some of my guided tastings.
Woodford Spire Pre-made Cocktail
Our final tasting was a pour from a pre-made Woodford Spire cocktail (also sold in the gift shop). A blend of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, lemonade, and cranberry juice, this is refreshing and one that’s inviting to even non-bourbon drinkers. If you’re interested in making your own, you can find a recipe here.
Overall
Along with the tour at Castle & Key, this is one of my favorite, historic tours (though I’ll say, I do like the bourbon at Woodford Reserve better). It’s one of the few that you get to view a good deal of the production process. If you’re planning a visit, you’re just a few minutes from the grounds of the Old Crow Distillery at Glenn’s Creek Distillery and short drive to Frankfort to take in Buffalo Trace (highly recommend the Old Taylor Tour here).