The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
BourbonIssue 34

Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Woodford Reserve · Woodford Reserve Distillery

90.4 proofNASVersailles, Kentucky, USA
Woodford Reserve's triple-distilled process through copper pot stills gives this bourbon a refinement uncommon at its price point. It's a textbook example of how copper contact smooths rough edges while preserving grain character. An essential baseline bourbon for any serious taster.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dried cherry and toasted oak lead, followed by waves of vanilla custard and a dusting of brown spices. A faint floral lift — almost like dried carnation — emerges as the glass opens up.

Palate

Medium-bodied with a creamy, rounded mouthfeel. Caramel and dark cocoa interweave with subtle rye grain spice and a persistent butterscotch sweetness. There's a fleeting citrus note mid-palate that keeps things lively.

Finish

Medium-long, with charred oak and a lingering nuttiness that dries gracefully into leather and vanilla.

Specifications
Mash Bill
72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Barrel Type
New charred American white oak
Bottled in Bond
No
Single Barrel
No
Wheated
No
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Copper Old Fashioned — 2 oz Woodford Reserve · 0.25 oz demerara syrup · 3 dashes Angostura bitters · Stir over a large ice cube, express an orange peel over the surface.

Food Pairing

Smoked pork belly with a maple glaze

The Story

Distilled in Woodford County at one of Kentucky's oldest and smallest distillery sites, where three distinctive copper pot stills — modeled after Scottish designs — have defined the house style since the operation's revival in 1996.

Train These Aromas
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