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
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More from Woodford Reserve Distillery
Ron Zacapa Edición Negra
Rum

Ron Zacapa Edición Negra

Ron Zacapa

Edición Negra takes Zacapa's high-altitude solera system and pushes it toward heavier charred casks, producing a darker, more brooding rum than its siblings. The result is a spirit that trades some of the Centenario 23's honeyed charm for genuine complexity and a savory edge. Whether you sip it neat or pair it with a robust dessert, this is rum built for contemplation.

86 proof
Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon

Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Michter's

Michter's 10 Year exemplifies the discipline of selecting barrels that can handle a full decade without tipping into over-oaked bitterness. This is bourbon that rewards slow sipping — each minute in the glass unlocks new layers. A benchmark for what extended aging should accomplish in Kentucky whiskey.

94.4 proof
Don Pilar Añejo Tequila
Tequila

Don Pilar Añejo Tequila

Don Pilar

Don Pilar's Añejo delivers genuine agave character that has been shaped, not masked, by eighteen months in oak. This is añejo the way it should be done — the wood serves the spirit, not the other way around. At its price point, it competes well above its weight class, offering depth and balance that many pricier añejos struggle to achieve.

80 proof
Jensen's Old Tom London Gin
Gin

Jensen's Old Tom London Gin

Jensen's

Christian Jensen spent years researching nineteenth-century recipes to reconstruct an authentic Old Tom profile. The result is not a novelty — it is a genuine revival, offering a window into what gin tasted like before London Dry became the dominant style. Essential for anyone building a historically informed Martinez or Tom Collins.

86 proof
More Bourbon Reviews