Nestled amid the rolling hills of bluegrass and thoroughbred farms sits our historic Woodford Reserve Distillery.
One of Kentucky’s oldest and smallest distilleries, the present-day Woodford Reserve Distillery is built on history, sitting on Kentucky’s oldest distilling site where Elijah Pepper began crafting whiskey in 1812. It was on these same hallowed grounds that years later Master Distiller James Christopher Crow perfected his whiskey-making methods, which today have become common practice, including the implementation of sour mash into fermentation.
The Distillery is home to a 500-foot-long gravity-fed barrel run, our iconic copper pot stills, and 100-year-old cypress wood fermenters. We also boast one of the only heat cycled barrelhouses in the world, ensuring every drop seeps into the charred and toasted white oak, giving Woodford Reserve its colour and signature flavour.
Woodford Reserve® Bourbon
The perfectly balanced taste of our Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is comprised of more than 200 detectable flavour notes, from bold grain and wood to sweet aromatics, spice, and fruit & floral notes.
Woodford Reserve is built around flavour. The bourbon has a rich texture of flavours that create opportunities for cocktail and food pairings. Woodford Reserve is designed with perfectly proportioned flavours of depth and complexity. The smooth, balanced spirit has been celebrated as versatile and approachable, contemporary yet timeless.
Cocktail Ideas: The Perfect Manhattan
- 2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
- 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
Woodford Reserve® Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
The perfectly balanced taste of our Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is distilled, matured, and bottled in Kentucky and delivers bold and spicy character. Made with a lower amount of rye in the mash bill than most contemporary rye whiskies, Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey is representative to a more traditional Kentucky Rye. It’s bold character and emphasis on spice delivers a long and sweetly spiced finish.
Awards & Accolades
2020 - GOLD MEDAL at San Francisco World Spirits Competition
2018 - 1st Place at International Whisky Competition | EXCELLENT, HIGHLY RECOMMEND at Ultimate Spirits Challenge | Gold Medal at Class Bartender Awards
Cocktail Ideas - Rye Old Fashioned
- 2 oz Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- 1/2 oz Ginger Honey Syrup
- 3 dashes Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters
Woodford Reserve® Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Wheat Whiskey is a modern interpretation of a classic straight American whiskey through wheat grain innovation. With a nod to history balanced with the pioneering spirit of Woodford Reserve, our Wheat Whiskey becomes the fruit-forward expression within our Five Areas of Flavor offerings. This Wheat Whiskey is unique as it is made using all four grain types. After Prohibition the Federal Government approved four straight whiskey standards: Bourbon, Rye, Malt and Wheat. These reflected the types of whiskies produced in the United States prior to Prohibition. With the introduction our Wheat Whiskey, Woodford Reserve will be the first to produce all four types.
- Nose : Cooked fruit (apple, pear, banana) and aromatic spices (cinnamon and cedar) mingle with a delicate floral character sweetened with light vanilla bean and brown sugar notes.
- Taste : Spicy applesauce and toasted coconut notes enliven an earthy mint and cocoa nibs mix.
- Finish : Dry, subtle cocoa nibs and apple peel fruit linger on.
Woodford Reserve® Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey showcases the five sources of flavor with an emphasis on the nuttiness of grain and toasted oak of the barrel delivering a more buttery expression than our bourbon. Using Malt grain allows the wood to play a big role in the flavor. Coming out of Prohibition the Federal Government approved four straight whiskey standards: Bourbon, Rye, Wheat, and Malt. These reflected the types of whiskies produced in the United States prior to Prohibition. While most people associate Malt Whiskey with Scotland, Kentucky has a history of Malt Whiskey production pre-Prohibition. Woodford Reserve Malt draws upon this pre-Prohibition heritage for inspiration.
- Colour : Warm Umber
- Nose : Soft nutty notes drizzled with light caramel and milk chocolate coat a light layer of tropical fruit character. Delicate hints of brown spice, mint, brown sugar and soft oak float beneath.
- Taste : Dark chocolate and caramel covered nuts are dried out with a sprinkle of cocoa and brown spice. Faint ripe tropical fruit brighten a trace of toasted coconut and oak.
- Finish : Nutty and subtly sweet chocolate malt notes linger on.
Woodford Reserve® Double Oaked
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is an innovative approach to twice-barreled bourbon that creates a rich and colorful flavor unlike any other bourbon in the market. Starting with Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which is matured in handcrafted new white oak barrels; the bourbon is then uniquely matured for a second time in another new barrel. The second barrel is deeply toasted before a light charring, creating the unique flavors of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked - a smooth, full-bodied bourbon with a long, rich finish.
Woodford Reserve Derby 143 2017 Edition
A commemorative bottling of 2017 Woodford Reserve, to celebrate the annual Kentucky Derby. The artwork for the 2017 Run for the Roses bottling was done by the same artist as the 2016 bottling, Thomas Allen Pauly. The whiskey is made up of a high rye content of 18%, along with 72% corn and 10% malt. Woodford Reserve has been the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby for the past 19 years.
Woodford Reserve Derby 144 2018 Edition
Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby®, is honoring this year’s “Run for the Roses” with the release of its 2018 Kentucky Derby commemorative bottle. This limited-edition Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle features artwork from Keith A. Anderson.
Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select is a super-premium, small batch bourbon crafted at the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery, located in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region. It is a bourbon of exceptional richness, depth, and character with a smooth, well-rounded finish.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Keith A. Anderson, a Louisville native who has served mint juleps to thoroughbred racing fans for years and who works at the Bourbon Street Café at Brown-Forman headquarters, has fulfilled a lifetime dream: his colorful art is featured on this year’s iconic Woodford Reserve Derby Bottle.
Woodford Reserve Derby 145 2019 Edition
Woodford Reserve has released its 2019 Kentucky Derby bottle. The release coincides with the 20th anniversary exhibit of its Kentucky Derby bottles at the Frazier History Museum in Louisville.
The limited-edition 2019 Woodford Reserve Derby bottle features thoroughbreds racing across the bottle and is the colorful artwork of Keith Anderson. This is the second year that Anderson, who works in the Bourbon Street Café at Brown-Forman headquarters in Louisville, has been chosen to have his work featured on the collectible annual release.
Woodford Reserve Derby 146 2020 Edition
Woodford Reserve®️, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby®️, is honoring “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” with the release of its 2020 commemorative Derby bottle.It features the work of Louisville artist Richard Sullivan, a former Atlanta Braves baseball player. Sullivan’s stunning watercolor image is of thoroughbreds as they thunder toward the finish line, with the famed Twin Spires of Churchill Downs in the background.
Woodford Reserve Derby 147 2021 Edition
March 2, 2021 – Louisville, KY – Woodford Reserve®, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby®️, is honoring “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” with the release of its 2021 commemorative Derby bottle.
It features the artwork of Louisville resident Richard Sullivan, a former professional baseball player. Sullivan’s stunning watercolor is of thoroughbreds as they thunder down the stretch. It was designed as a complement to last year’s Derby bottle artwork, which Sullivan also created.
- Colour : Clean, brilliant honey amber.
- Nose : Heavy with rich dried fruit, hints of mint and oranges covered with a dusting of cocoa. Faint vanilla and tobacco spice.
- Taste : Rich, chewy, rounded and smooth, with complex citrus, cinnamon and cocoa. Toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes abound.
- Finish : Silky smooth, almost creamy at first with a long, warm satisfying tail.
Woodford Reserve® Master Collection Brandy Cask Finish
The Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Brandy Cask Finish is the latest and 11th release in the series. As the first whiskey to be finished in an American brandy cask, this new expression is yet another product of Woodford Reserve’s continued appreciation and commitment to innovation and craftsmanship.
Brandy, a spirit distilled from wine or fruit, is often aged in oak barrels. These may be used a number of times because Brandy does not have the new, charred barrel requirement that our Kentucky Bourbon does. Finishing fully matured Woodford Reserve in these barrels does not add any new flavours to the whiskey, but instead accentuates Woodford Reserve’s rich dried fruit and nut characteristics that come from our grain recipe and long fermentation process.
Woodford Reserve® Master Collection Cherry Wood Smoked Barley
The Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection has traditionally honored the pioneering and innovative production processes established at our Woodford County distillery in the 1830s by owner Oscar Pepper and Master Distiller James Crow. Today that pioneering spirit is embodied in the Woodford Reserve Distillery’s Master’s Collection series and it’s latest release – Cherry Wood Smoked Barley.
Mash Bill : 70% corn, 20% cherry smoked malt, 10% distiller's malt
Distiller’s Notes
The 2017 Master’s Collection Cherry Wood Smoked Barley is the first Kentucky bourbon to use malted barley that has been exposed to wood smoke during its kilning process. This imparted a rich smoked almond note to the mash that carried over in the distillation process. With 30% malt content the Cherry Wood Smoked Barley mash bill has a greater amount of malt than traditional bourbon. The result is a rich, full-bodied bourbon.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance : Rich amber
- Nose : A complex mingling of deep caramel, brown sugar and dark chocolate top a layer of cherry jam and nutty crumbles dusted with wood spice.
- Taste : Intense smoked almond and malt character sweetened with cherry pie filling and a touch of caramel.
- Finish : Long smoked almond notes fade into a rich cherry fruit jam.