Tag: Kentucky

Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Four Wood

Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Four Wood

Sometimes the most fun a bourbon enthusiast can have is hunting down a hard to find libation.  Now, obviously this can stop being fun and get to frustrating when it’s a Pappy Van Winkle.  But when it’s something still obtainable, the thrill of the hunt is on!

This summer, I have heard from several people how the Woodford Reserve Masters Collection ‘Four Wood’ release was both hard to find, and terribly mediocre.  I scouted out a few stones, but couldn’t seem to find it here in Michigan, so I went to the next level.  The state of Pennsylvania state controls all liquor sales, and state-runs the stores (rather than independent retailers).  On top of that, they have a great, robust web site and mobile app so that you can easily purchase your booze online.  I searched, and quickly found the elusive Four Wood, and the game was afoot.  Only one problem – they don’t ship to Michigan.  How to solve this?  Well… my wife is a former Pennsylvanian, a native of the Philly suburbs.  And her mother, my mother-in-law, still lives there.  Even more serendipitous, she was coming to spend some time with us this very weekend.  So, I purchased the bottle online and shipped it to her!  It took a bit of convincing that she wasn’t breaking any laws in bringing it to me, but a two hour plane ride later, and here she (and said bottle) is!

Dan's Bourbon of the Week: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Four Wood
Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Four Wood

Now this is an oddball.  Matured in oak and finished in maple wood and wine barrels, this selection takes the finishing process to a new level.  Which is exactly what made it less popular with bloggers on the interwebs – it was described as a schizophrenic flavor profile, too wildly veering between tastes to be satisfying.  Would I agree?

My take: Yes, the naysayers are right…sort of. It had a very strong nose and a loooong, strong finish, but a few too many flavors keeps it from having a clear taste profile. Fun for a try, but not as nice as other Woodfords.

Dan scale (1-10): 7.4

Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

So as I mentioned last week, one of the highlights of this summer has been my visit to some of Kentucky’s finest bourbon distilleries: Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace.  I cannot say enough about the beauty and enjoyment we experienced at Woodford Reserve – from the copper kettles to the shaded storehouses, it was a great time.

One of the extra bonuses we got by serendipity was the opportunity to meet Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris.  We chatted with him for a few minutes in the gift shop about Woodford’s history, and the unique Master’s selections Woodford puts out yearly (more on that in the future).   The Woodford Reserve Distillery gift shop also engraves bottles on site so, after purchasing some gifts for good friends, my wife and I chose a bottle of the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked for ourselves and had it engraved to remember the trip.  Mr. Morris signed it as well!

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, engraved, and signed by Master Distiller Chris Morris

What makes the Double Oaked unique is the finishing process.  At it’s heart, it’s Woodford Reserve, distilled in copper kettles and with the same sour mash recipe.  But after it spends its time in the charred oak barrel, it is transferred to a second, more toasted but less charred barrel, for 9 months.  This allows for a whole new set of flavors to come out, and it shows in both the sweetness of the nose and first taste, as well as the bitterness on the finish.

My take: From a nose perspective, this is a winner for me right from the get go.  The sweet sticky smells of toffee, molasses and butterscotch are evident, as well as wiffs of…vanilla.

The first taste belies that sweetness, as I tasted cinnamon, allspice and clove – a spicier blend than I anticipated.  Then, the warm bitterness of oak took over, through the finish. Other reviewers noted the sweetness came back in the finish, but I didn’t experience that.

My flavor profile is sweet, where as my wife Jen veers toward the spicy,  and that was exactly how this played out. I loved the nose, but was not crazy about the woodiness and spice of the sip, where as Jen loved all the above.  A very unique try, and with some rich characteristics, but not cracking my top five.

Dan scale (1-10): 8.3

Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Four Roses Single Barrel

Dan’s Bourbon of the Week: Four Roses Single Barrel

Last month, I received a wonderful birthday gift from my family.  Knowing what a fan of bourbon I was becoming, they purchased my wife and I tickets to a private dinner and bourbon tasting with none other than the Van Winkle family, or Pappy Van Winkle fame.  We trekked down to Kentucky, and made a bourbon day of it – first we visited the Woodford Reserve distillery, pictures of which will be coming shortly.  Then, it was on to Buffalo Trace, where some of the absolute best bourbons – including Pappy Van Winkle, as well as Blanton’s, Eagle Rare and others – are produced.

The dinner was great and the tour fun, but the highlight was sampling the 10, 12, 15, 20 and 23 year old Pappys.  After wards, in a Q&A, I asked Preston Van Winkle a question I was dying to know the answer to: knowing how very very hard (read impossible) it is to get one’s hands on a bottle of PVW, what was his other favorite bourbon? His answer was Four Roses Single Barrel. And so with that, I bought a bottle to try for myself.

Dan's Bourbon of the Week: Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon

I tasted the bourbon in the way I have seen other connoisseurs on the web do it, as well as that way I had been taught to by the guides at Woodford Reserve.

My take: Very nice. Smooth, hints of clove, mint, nutmeg. Good nose, warmth from the finish. I liked it even better with an ice chip. Jen was particularly fond of it as well.  Spicier than I like, but definitely a treat.

Dan scale (1-10): 8.0