Woodford Reserve: The Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby

Whiskey and horse racing just seem to go together.  Kind of like Miller and NASCAR, but a lot more refined, a lot less horsepower, and with good things to drink, like bourbon.  Kentucky is the home of the American Bourbon industry.  All major distilleries are located in Kentucky, so it is only natural that these two great institutions get together.  Well, Brown and Foreman were the first to ink the deal and Woodford Reserve is the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby.  It is really a good fit when you consider that the Woodford Reserve Distillery is located in the heart of thoroughbred racing horse farms in Versailles, Kentucky.  It is probably one of the most picturesque distilleries there is.  So it seems like a good fit, and why not.  Whenever you can pair up a great drink with a great race I’m all for it. But there is more to this story, and that is how they craft this bourbon.  It is perhaps one of the more controlled processes used.

Woodford Reserve does some things quite differently that gives it its unique flavor.  First of all it uses 18% rye in its mash bill.  I found it very interesting that on their web site they are quite forthcoming about their recipe and their process.  18% rye is a high rye content, along with 10% barley and 72% corn.  This gives their bourbon a smoky and earthy flavor where the rye is very prevalent.

Their fermentation uses perhaps the smallest amount of sour (old mash from previous batches) of any sour mash whiskey, and it ferments between 5 and 7 days, the longest of any bourbon.  Finally they control the temperature in their rick houses in a process called cycling.  Most distilleries allow mother nature to control the temperature in the rick houses with warm summers and cool winters forcing the whiskey into and out of the wood barrels.  They don’t do that at Woodford, they force it in and out by heating and cooling the storage facilities.  This allows them to control the flavor, and ostensibly shorten the time it takes to barrel age their bourbon.  So how does it taste?…

The flavor of Woodford Reserve is very good, and somewhat unique.  The pour on this bourbon was a nice soft amber color with hints of golden shimmer in the light.  It is quite leggy and has an oily quality to it which helps in coating the palate to get the flavor.

The nose on this bourbon is unique too.  Of course you get alcohol, it is hard not too when a bourbon is 90.4 proof or 45.2% ABV, but there is more.  There is an earthiness and a woody smell.  This is undoubtedly due to the cycling in the rick house and the rye in the mash bill.  But there is more, under the obvious there is a hint of apple, and for some reason I was thinking green apple specifically.

The flavor of this bourbon is dominated by the rye in the mash.  It is a very earthy flavor that you get up front, you can taste the grains.  Around mid palate that apple shows up and lends a little sweetness to the flavor, and finally a nice finish that gives a great warming sensation in the chest.  Very satisfying.

Neat

This bourbon is a good neat drinker.  It has the flavors as described and overall is a very satisfying whiskey.

On the Rocks

Cooling this bourbon really extinguishes the burn, much more than I expected.  The apple flavors and the barrel notes are emphasized when cooled.

With a Splash

This really began to unravel with water which, again, was a surprise.   I would think with the strength if the juice it would hold together a little better.  It was almost like apple juice when diluted.  This might have something to do with the aging process.  Forcing the bourbon to move into the woody sides of the barrel and retreat by controlling the temperature may lead to a weaker structure than allowing mother nature to do it slowly and gradually with the change of seasons.

All in all a good drinker and one I would suggest you drink neat or with just one ice cube.

-Don