Woodford Reserve Seasoned Oak Finish Tasting Notes and Ratings.

Woodford Reserve Seasoned Oak Finish

Added on Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 at 06:40 PM

Bottler:

Brown Forman

Age:	N/A	Type:	American
Vintage:	N/A	Subtype:	Bourbon
ABV:	50.20 %	Region:	Kentucky
Price:	$90	Availability:	Better Stores

Finished in barrels that were seasoned for 3 to 5 years. "Seasoning" is the practice of first exposing the wood outdoors for a period of time, typically 3 to 5 months.

Member Ratings and Notes

Adam

The nose on this whiskey is amazing. Like someone put a little basket of potpurri in a big, old-timey spice cabinet... Like, I can smell the hand-hewn wood, the lovingly-maintained spice jars, the years of scents all blended together to create something like allspice-pecan-rhubarb-cinnamon-heaven-pie. On the palate, however, the enchantment is gone, and the whiskey is revealed as a bit of a woody, dry, cocoa-cinnamon and light toffee number. I do like it, and I especially appreciate the experimentation that's gone into this... you can certainly taste it... it's just too dry for me. But surely worth a try.

Sku

Unsurprisingly, the nose is very woody. It's also got some nice butterscotch notes. The palate starts sweet, has some woody astringency and finishes with the medicinal qualities that seem to be characteristic of Woodford. The woody astringency complements the medicinal notes making this decent with a dry woody finish.

Tim

N: Wood evident immediately, some rye on the nose. A bit of prickle but not out of line with the ABV. Smells older. Light molasses and maple syrup notes.

P: Syrupy mouthfeel. A bit sweet on the palate, revealing some waxy, a hint of apple, some toffee, brown sugar, molasses, definite wood influence but not overpowering. Some rye, warming slightly. Later notes of cereal and grain.

F: Big and strong, revealing more fruit notes - apples, black cherry. There's something vaguely medicinal on the finish. Lasting. A flash of orange and cinnamon. Definite drying from the wood on the finish, where the wood notes are the most prominent in this whiskey.

This is not really bad despite the Master's Collection's reputation as a whole. It's better than stock Woodford to me - barely - with a darker, spicier profile to Woodford's sweet one. The wood does start to push into too much territory and can be mood-driven. Don't let it oxidize or it's woody as hell.

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