Woodford
Reserve is a brand known for doing things its
own way. Founded in Versailles, Kentucky, it may be one of the most beautiful
campuses I've enjoyed visiting. Nestled in the middle of nowhere and surrounded
by horse country, views abound, and the setting seems intimate and almost
romantic. Woodford is owned by Brown-Forman, one of the largest beverage
conglomerates in the world.
Woodford
Reserve’s bourbon mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. They
use limestone water obtained on the grounds of the distillery. Nothing unusual
with that so far, but it is the next steps that matter: It uses a six-day fermentation process, which
is longer than the industry average of three. It is triple-distilled using a
blending of whiskeys from both pot and column stills. Entry-proof is also lower
than average, brought down to 110° before filling new, #4 charred-oak barrels.
Aging
at Woodford is done in heat-cycled warehouses. If you're unfamiliar with
that term, they heat the inside of the warehouse in the winter. It is cooled
when it reaches a pre-determined temperature by venting out all the heat. Think
of it as artificial seasons meant to cause additional interaction of whiskey
and wood.
Its
newest limited-edition release is Chocolate
Whisper Redux, which sets up a new tier for Woodford
Reserve. It is its highest-proofed whiskey to date. In 2021, Woodford released Chocolate Whisper, which I reviewed. The distillery stated was a happy
accident after distilling Chocolate
Malt Rye, its 2019 Distiller’s Edition.
The Bourbon that followed took on the qualities of that distillation batch.
Woodford
didn’t use all of Chocolate Whisper and, instead, allowed some barrels to
continue aging. It is now a 12-year-old whiskey bottled at 69.7% ABV (139.4°).
“It is exciting to see how Chocolate Whisper Redux evolved since its initial release in 2021. A longer barrel age has enhanced its bold flavor notes while preserving the long finish.” – Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall
A
limited amount of 375mL bottles were made available at the distillery on
February 20th for $99.99. Assuming that any is left, it can be
purchased at https://shop.woodfordreserve.com.
Woodford indicates that select Kentucky retailers have some as well.
So,
should you start trying to get your hands on one? Thankfully, Woodford Reserve
provided me with a sample of Chocolate Whisper Redux in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and get that question
answered.
Appearance: I
poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. I’ll just say this
much – this may be the darkest Bourbon I’ve ever seen. It was brown with a
reddish hue, and nothing was transparent about it. As I gave my glass a gentle swirl,
the whiskey formed a thin, jagged rim with pencil-thin, crowded, slow tears.
Nose: I
allowed this Bourbon to rest in my glass for about 15 minutes before I brought
it close to my face. Sniffing the air exposed me to dark chocolate, English toffee,
dried cherries, almonds, clove, and oak. Inhaling the vapor through my lips
produced roasted coffee.
Palate: I found
Chocolate Whisper Redux’s texture thin and oily, and the very first flavor to
hit my tongue was dark roasted coffee. After the palate shock, I identified cocoa
nibs and dry oak. My mid-palate discerned dried cranberries, cherries, and English
toffee. The back featured big, bold clove, ancient leather, and spiced nuts.
Finish: That
leather was so arid that my mouth was left with something I call pucker
power. I was smacking my lips, trying to regain some sense of moisture. That
coffee and cocoa carried through the entirety of the finish. The clove seemed
to fall off but made a grand encore that attempted to steal the spotlight. There
was some tartness attributed to the dried cranberries. Its duration clocked in
at 2:19, and my hard palate was left tingling.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Let me
start by saying that I am not a coffee drinker. Yet, its bitterness, married with
the dark chocolate and massive clove, all seemed to balance each other. The
fruity flavors, although tart, were complimentary. For whatever reason, I do
love that pucker power some whiskeys possess.
Twelve-year-old, cask-strength
American whiskeys command high prices these days. One could look at it as $100
for 375mL as expensive. It isn't out of line regarding a value statement, mL
for mL.
Chocolate Whisper Redux is
something so far out of the regular Bourbon universe that it becomes an experience
whiskey. I really enjoyed it, and I believe you will, too. Thus, it snags my
Bottle rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit
but begs you to do so responsibly.
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