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 visited. Nestled in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by horse
country, views abound, and the setting seems intimate and almost romantic.
Woodford Reserve is owned by Brown-Forman, one of the world's largest beverage conglomerates.
Woodford
Reserve’s Bourbon mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley, and its
Rye mashbill is 53% rye, 33% corn, and 14% malted barley. It uses limestone
water obtained on the distillery grounds. So far, nothing seems unusual, right?
The
next part is what matters: Woodford employs a six-day fermentation
process, which is longer than the industry average of three days. It is
triple-distilled using a blend 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.
Each
autumn since 2004, with its Four
Grain Bourbon, Woodford Reserve launched its annual Master’s Collection. For 2025, the newest member is called Sweet Oak Bourbon.
“Bottled at 110.4 proof, this Bourbon delivers a powerful, full-bodied profile while maintaining Woodford’s signature sweetness. With sweet oak at its core, this expression offers nuanced layers of flavor that whiskey collectors and connoisseurs will appreciate.” - Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall
Before
we #DrinkCurious and delve into everything it has to offer, I must thank
Woodford Reserve for providing me with a sample of Sweet Oak Bourbon in
exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.
- Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
- Distiller: Woodford Reserve
- Age: NAS
- Mashbill: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley
- Cooperage: 53-gallon, new, #4 charred Chinkapin oak barrels
- Alcohol Content: 55.2% ABV (110.4°)
- Price per 700mL: $179.99
- Availability:
The distillery, select Kentucky retailers, or can be ordered online
and shipped to KY, NH, ND, NE, and Washington, D.C. only.
Appearance: I used
a Glencairn glass to explore this Bourbon neat. I stopped and stared at my
glass because the liquid inside had a deep, extremely dark mahogany color. It
even caught Mrs. Whiskeyfellow’s attention. A thick rim stuck to the wall like
glue. Thick, evenly spaced, fast tears fell. But that rim; it went nowhere.
Nose: Sweet
Oak’s aroma was filled with cherries, plums, raisins, intense caramel, leather,
and oak. That’s after allowing the Bourbon to rest for about 15 minutes before
I approached it. When I pulled the vapor through my lips, cocoa and leather
rolled across my tongue.
Palate: The
first thing I encountered was Sweet Oak’s silky, medium-weighted mouthfeel. The
front featured sassafras alongside nutmeg and honey. My mid-palate detected black
tea, old leather, and ripe plums. The back included notes of cocoa, mild clove,
and oak.
Finish: The
long finish, which lasted 1:58, offered flavors of honey, sassafras, black tea,
ancient leather, cocoa, and dry oak. The leather outlasted the others. It was
even-keeled and arid.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I’ve
had Chinkapin oak-aged whiskeys before,
but never as the sole cooperage involved. Hats off to Elizabeth just for attempting
this!
As
far as Sweet Oak is concerned, it is a pour unlike any other I’ve tried. There
were layers that went from sweet to dry, then back to sweet, and then dry
again. It drank about five to ten points below its stated proof. Yes, $179.00
is expensive, but sometimes we pay for experiences, and Woodford Reserve Sweet
Oak is one such opportunity. I’m convinced it deserves my Bottle
rating; I believe you’ll agree. 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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