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A property of spirits giant Brown-Forman, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select (the standard Woodford offering) is one of the few remaining bourbons to use a triple-distillation process from its copper pot stills in Woodford County that is then batched with the more common column distilled spirit from the Shively campus in Louisville. Woodford acknowledges five sources of flavor: Grain, Water, Fermentation, Distillation, and Maturation and highlights how they differentiate at each point in the production process. Woodford ferments its mash for six days, a longer and slower process than most, allowing the formation of additional flavor compounds from its proprietary yeast strain, internally designated as 72B. They still use Small 7,500-gallon fermenters made of Cypress wood in lieu of more modern steel vessels, the porous wood also aiding in ester formation.
This review is from a 50ml mini bottle so will not have the benefit of additional fine tuning sessions.
🛒Sourced: Free - A leftover bottle from a Delta Flight, gotta love that comfort+ upgrade though I'm a peon now. It has definitely been a few years but the bottle has been in a dark cabinet for pretty much the whole time.
🧪Proof: 90.4 proof, 45.2% ABV - I'm always tickled when there is a decimal point involved; imagine it is something to do with calculated viscosity, tradition, or somebody just liked it that way.
🎨Color: R3 - a quite pleasant maple syrup color
🥔Mash Bill & Production: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley. The corn is locally grown in Shelby County, KY. The 72B yeast produces a distiller's beer of a relatively low 6% ABV.
- Age - No Age statement - Typically 6-7 years before blending
- Distillation Proof - Triple distilled to 158 proof high wine for the pot still component, wasn't able to find for the column still portion (likely 138-140proof which is common).
- Barrel Entry Proof - 110, lower proof allows for the absorption of more wood sugars
- Char - #4 "Alligator" Char (plus heavy toasting)
- Chill Filtered - Yes
👃Nose: Lots of caramel, dry wood, and salt-water toffee.
😜Palate: Lighter of body than I remembered and pretty easy-drinking. There is little alcohol astringency and what bit of it you find will be the back of the throat in transition to the finish. Flavors are standard bourbon and true to nose. I do get an added little hint of banana and vanilla beyond the initial caramel and oak. It is less sweet than I expected and I don't get a whole lot of rye spice either.
💦Finish: Short, a continuation of the aft palate that is more vanilla centric but savory. Deeper into the dram, the vanilla became more pronounced. This whiskey wants to be drank.
🏆 Overall: 5.25/10 - Good - This is an inoffensive but not terribly complex bourbon, and that's just fine for the price. It's a great entry point into bourbon and a great flagship with plenty of history. My personal opinion is that it is easily overwhelmed by most cocktails beyond an old fashioned, so you may be better served dropping to one of Heaven Hill's cheaper bonded or looking at the Old Granddad line of higher proof offerings.
💵Would buy again? I usually pass on the standard Woodford to jump up to the always lovely and eerily smooth double oaked version (that second cask is putting in WORK), but somehow Distiller's select always ends up being at family gatherings. I've probably drank as much of it as anything else over the years. It's good stuff; double oaked is just top-hole.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously