Distillery: Woodford Reserve
Proof: 90.4
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Woodford Reserve is one of the largest and oldest distilleries in Kentucky. They produce straight bourbon, double oaked, malt whiskey, rye whiskey, wheat whiskey, and a few limited releases that come out twice a year. Doubled Oaked means that the bourbon ages in a new charred oak barrel and them pulled out and finished in new charred oak barrel that is toasted before being charred. This process amplifies the sweeter notes of the whiskey.
NOSE: The nose is incredibly rich and sweet with strong notes of marshmellow, caramel, sweet vanilla, cherries, sweet corn, and some oak. It's very very sweet with a slight tingle. I was surprised by how little wood and oak notes their were given the double oak. (22/25)
PALATE: Double Oaked is pretty straight forward palate that is dominated by oak and vanilla. However, there are more notes of marshmellow, dried cherry, and sweet corn. There is a strong bitterness on the tail end of the palate. The whiskey has a rich and chewy mouthfeel that was surprising for the proof. (32/40)
FINISH: The finish is dominated by oak, rye spice, leather, and burnt brown sugar. It is on the dry side but still flavorful. (21/25)
VALUE: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked carries an SRP of $45 which is a great price. (7/10)
Overall: 82/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: This store pick of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked was delicious and enjoyable. Even though it was slightly bitter, it was rich, tasty, and smooth. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone, especially at $45
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Michter's Toasted Barrel Bourbon
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Old Forester 1910
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Still Austin The Musician Straight Bourbon
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
