Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 2023
Woodford Reserve · Woodford Reserve Distillery
Woodford's annual Batch Proof release is always a showcase for the distillery's character at full strength. The 2023 edition delivers remarkable depth without harsh edges, proving that high proof and balance are not mutually exclusive.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Intense dark chocolate and toasted pecan lead, followed by layers of dried cherry and brown sugar. A thread of tobacco smoke weaves through the heavier notes.
Palate
Full and dense, with charred oak asserting itself immediately before giving way to caramel and baking spices. Ripe red apple and a touch of leather emerge at mid-palate as the proof integrates.
Finish
Long and warming, with espresso-roast oak, butterscotch, and lingering rye spice.
- Mash Bill
- 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
- Barrel Type
- New charred American oak
- Bottled in Bond
- No
- Single Barrel
- No
- Wheated
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
Black Walnut Old Fashioned — 2 oz Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 2023 · 0.25 oz black walnut liqueur · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Stir over a large ice cube and garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Food Pairing
The char and caramel in the bourbon mirror the bark on slow-smoked short ribs, while the proof cuts through the fat. A side of creamy polenta softens the pairing.
Distilled and aged in the limestone-spring-fed hollows of Versailles, Kentucky, the Batch Proof series captures Woodford Reserve's pot- and column-still bourbon at whatever strength the barrels dictate.
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