Bourbon Season 2021 // Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
If you ask me which TV figure inspired me to try a Scottish single malt, it would be Nick Offerman, in his Parks & Rec character Ron Swanson, being lyrical about Lagavulin. But if you were to ask me which TV figure inspired me to try bourbon, it would be Stephen Fry who, in his documentary series “Stephen Fry in America” (2008) visited the Woodford Reserve distillery. He gets quite drunk in that episode, if I’m not mistaken, and once you’ve tried one of their expressions, it’s easy to understand why.
Text by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography is © Woodford Reserve and © Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Woodford Reserve - An Introduction
It took me a while to get myself a bottle of Woodford Reserve, simply because I didn’t want to buy it at a supermarket. I recently picked up my own bottle from a local spirits shop in Ghent. It’s always better to support smaller shops rather than big chains, in my opinion.
Now, Woodford Reserve truly is the quintessential bourbon in my mind, simply because of that episode I already mentioned. But let me throw some quick facts at you:
This Kentucky distillery is the official sponsor of the Kentucky derby, and it is said that a certain Dr James Crow invented sour-mash fermentation right at the distillery in the 1820s. The site itself dates back all the way to 1812. The people at the distillery are proud to be part of (contemporary) American history. The distillery itself is currently led by Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall, the two main distillers at the site. Both have plenty of experience in the business, and both take pride in their work.
The bottle that I bought - a Straight Bourbon Whiskey - is not the only product that leaves the distillery after bottling. I bet every American whiskey fan can find a bottle to his or her liking. There’s double oaked whiskey, malt whiskey, rye whiskey, wheat whiskey, a Baccarat edition, a Master’s collection, and a Distillery series. And there’s also specific batches and a private cask program. It should take me a while before I have even tasted all of their core range expressions.
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - What’s in a name?
If you’re new to bourbon, picking up a random bottle might make you scratch your head. What do all of these words on the label mean? Well, I’m here to help out. I’m taking a look at what I can read on the label of the bottle I bought, and will offer a brief explanation so we can both figure out what this is all about.
“Distiller’s Select” - A selection by the distiller. This one’s easy.
“Kentucky” - This refers to the style of the bourbon. Most bourbons are produced in the southern part of Kentucky. Styles can either be distinguished based on the types of grains that are used, or the ‘location’ of the distillery.
“Straight” - A straight bourbon refers to the fact that there are no additional flavors of colorings added to this distilled spirit. A “straight” bourbon has been matured for at least 2 years.
“Bourbon” - In order for whiskey to be called “bourbon”, it needs to be made in the USA, needs to contain at least 51% corn, can’t contain any other spirits or colorings, and needs to have had a second distillation during which the alcohol percentage can’t be above 80%. It also needs to be matured in new, charred white oak casks.
“Whiskey” - This spelling is used to refer to whisky coming from either Ireland or the USA.
“Proprietary Batch” - Woodford Reserve uses a specific proprietary batching process: blending barrels into a batch and bottling the whiskey at its actual proof, straight from the barrel, without lowering the alcohol percentage.
"43,2% Vol” - The alcohol percentage of the bottle, which can also be expressed in “proof”.
Tasting Experience
Woodford Reserve expressions are normally made using a grain recipe that is 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. The fermentation process is longer than used by most bourbon distillers, which supposedly releases a more complex range of flavors. The batching process is done by distillation in pot stills and column stills. Maturation is done in new, charred, white oak barrels. Although the label doesn’t have an age statement on it, this expression should be about 6-7 years old.
I poured myself a dram of my bottle, and when I nosed it, noticed that it had a certain sharp quality that I simply did not expect. There are notes of milk chocolate, some oranges, a bit of wood, even a bit of almonds, and then… a sharp tobacco note, the kind you get when you roll your own cigarettes. And I kind help but wonder if I picked up on this so easily because I tend to smoke a cigar once in a while. As the liquid got used to the Glencairn it was residing in, I also picked up candied fruits and a bit of vanilla. But there’s something more in there, perhaps even coconut flakes? I don’t know. Oh! And green bananas!
The liquid is quite mellow on the tongue, with a flavor pattern that needs to develop itself a bit more before you experience ‘the full taste’. It’s nice and centered on my ‘flavor-wheel’, with notes of caramel and chocolate, citrus, toffee, baking spices, and an overall ‘rich’ and ‘rounded-out’ element that brings it all together. This is less ‘in your face’ than other bourbons, less ‘sparkly’ but more ‘why don’t you get to know me?’. Am I making sense? I hope I am…
This expression likes to stick around on the palate as well. It’s not quite ‘sticky’ in the sense that you keep tasting it for minutes after you’ve had your last sip, but it’s also not easy to make your palate forget about it. This Woodford Reserve is, quite simply, noticeably present. Would this be a medium-long finish? I don’t know. It’s not really a ‘finish’ in the traditional sense of the word. There is a slight ‘flavorful tingle’ that just sticks with you for a while, something that I have not noticed in other expressions, so it’s quite surprising. It’s peppery, a bit like tobacco again.
I honestly don’t know if I have to classify this expression as ‘entry-level’ or not. To me, it’s too subtle and too complex for that. The price range, however, is very reasonable for a bourbon. This might very well be a ‘try this one out first before you give any value to my personal experiences’. I hope you have fun trying this one out!
