Woodford Reserve - Double Oaked

Nose: This has a light and sweet smell. Surprisingly, despite its name, I didn’t pick up much in the way of oak or wood scents. I got a little bit of green apple and maybe some citrus. Palate: This has a pretty light mouthfeel. This starts off with a nice mellow richness and then toward the end of the mid-palate, it starts to heat up just a bit. The finish is long and at the very end, the charred flavors start to build and continue as the swallow goes down the throat. It then leaves a very nice toasty aftertaste. On second sip, I got more molasses, caramel and dark chocolate at the beginning of the sip. It has a little bit of heat in the finish, but it really comes across as more peppery than heat, and it doesn’t last all that long. It is neither harsh nor burning. Even after several sips, you can really pick up on the toastiness of this one. Later sips brought out some burnt brown sugar and some woodiness, especially in the finish. Overall, you also seem to get the impression of a dark chocolate….not necessarily all that bitter, but also not sweet like milk chocolate. Comments: I had not had this in quite some time and had more or less forgotten its taste. It was a pleasant surprise. The standard Woodford was one of the first bourbons with which I found favor when I started out in my bourbon journey. Then, as I tried different bourbons, it dropped a little in my estimation because, while good, it became a little bland, compared to some others. But I have to say that I found this double oaked version to be a very different animal and very tasty indeed. I think it has hints of the regular Woodford, but it is actually quite different. In fact, it is not only different than regular Woodford, I find it to be quite different from anything else I’ve recently tasted. My only complaint (although it isn’t really) is, I’d find this to be almost perfect if it was just a little bit sweeter. A review I read on this one recommended it as a good “dessert bourbon” and I wholeheartedly agree, even without it being as sweet as I’d like. I recommend this one squarely as a “should try” to see if you’ll like it to. I can see this as becoming a more regular participant in the regular rotation. This is 90.4 proof and the mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. This “double oaked” version is produced by taking the standard Woodford and re-barreling it in a second virgin charred oak barrel for just under a year. The 2nd barrel is deeply toasted before being lightly charred. Total Wine sells a 375ml bottle of this for around $28 and I think it is well worth it at that price. They sell the 750ml for $54.