Woodford Reserve - Master's Collection - 118.4 Batch Proof (2022)
$129
Woodford Reserve – Master’s Collection – 118.4 Batch Proof (2022)
Proof: 118.4
Age: NAS
Distillery: Woodford Reserve
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Batch Proof
Mash: 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley (Standard Woodford Mash)
Website: Woodford Reserve
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Cocoa Powder, Raisins, Cinnamon, Tobacco Leaf, Charred Cedar Split, Pear, and Mellow Oak. I really enjoyed the nose. It was my favorite part.
Taste/Palate: Dry with justifiable heat. Charred Oak hits first with an ample amount of spice – All Spice & Rye. Carmel Chew, Vanilla Bean, Tart Orange Peel, and Plum.
Finish: Moderate to Heavy Oak Char and Leather lingers on the palate. This dram remains dry throughout. Sweet and Spice are equally melded together. Remnants of thick Caramel, Vanilla, Spices, and Dark Fruits – Red Grapes and Plum.
Verdict: Overall it was well balanced and presented a good flavor profile. I do think that its a little on the drier side even considering the proof. The nose was excellent and overall regarding taste it delivered, but the price is a bit of a deterrent. Once you eclipse $100 I feel that the bottle needs to deliver the “why”. Age statement? Super Fancy finishing technique? Blessed by a Shaman? You get the point. The juice is good, but I’m unsure if it would be worth grabbing another bottle at the $129 price point. In conclusion I don’t regret enjoying this dram.
The Story: I have had the pleasure of trying multiple Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection offerings over the past 5 years. I just haven’t jumped on a bottle to review until this year. I recognize my reviews of Woodford are few and far between and that is not intentional. I happened to see 2 of these bottles on the shelf and I decided to pull the trigger on one of them.
The best part of the story is that I was actually at the liquor store to pick up a bottle for my friend that was having trouble locating in their area. I picked up the Woodford in addition to what I was grabbing for them. I sent a copy of the receipt and my friend reimbursed me for both bottles. I pointed out the error in payment and their only reply was, it was not a mistake and to “Enjoy!”. I will my friend and thank you.
My story regarding Woodford Reserve in general is a fond memory for me. I had the pleasure of taking a tour of the distillery pre-Covid. It was one of the best tours I have been on to date. The property is beautiful, the main building and super clean and up to date, but most importantly the tour was thorough. The tour follows the journey of the juice. From the fermentation, to storage in a rick house, and the bottling process, you get to see it start to finish. Most of the other tours I went on you got to see only 1 or 2 of the mentioned items. The tasting at the end was very nice as well and in a very cozy room. Highly recommended and worth the price of the tour. I can’t confirm what the experience is like these days with Covid.
The Distillery’s Story: “Batch Proof is a celebration of Woodford Reserve’s proprietary process – blending barrels into a batch and then bottling the whiskey at its actual proof, straight from the barrel. Batch Proof is crafted using the same grain bill and process as Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The 2022 edition is 118.4 Proof.
Batch Proof, however, takes Woodford Reserve’s trademark flavor range of sweet vanilla and toasted oak to a whole new level offering consumers the privilege of tasting Woodford Reserve in its purest form (and not the standard 90.4 for which Woodford is known).”
I have read elsewhere that this years proof is lower than last years due to a higher amount of barrels in the batch being taken from lower floors and there being less angel’s share. It’s important to note that Woodford Reserve heat cycles many of their Rickhouses. This allows the dram to work it’s way in and out of the oak barrels faster essentially speeding up the aging process. The juice is usually younger than what you’d expect so maybe that could be a reason why they don’t list it and have you base it on taste alone.
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Average. Not bad, but not special.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Reviewer: David S
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