We are back and tasting one of the most popular premium Bourbons sold, Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select. This is from Brown-Forman, clocks in at 90.4 proof and is sold in a corked bottle. The bottle we tasted was a Kentucky Derby Commemorative 1L bottle, but it is the same juice as the normal bottle. It sells for around $32.00 for the 750 ml and is a very easy bottle to find, we have seen them at super markets.
It comes with a batch number but we are somewhat skeptical about calling this a small batch. It is a huge seller. On the plus side, it is the official bourbon of The Kentucky Derby, that has to account for something.
NOSE
Ron: I detected a nose of spice, molasses, brown sugar and oak.
Todd: It has a warm aroma, don’t know how else to describe it. Also detected baking spice, oak, rye and caramel.
TASTE
Ron: Tasted a little hot straight with the same sweet molasses that I had detected on the aroma. Identified spice as nutmeg.
Todd: It tasted better than I remembered. Light, even fruity, also got a little bit of a bread taste. Not a lot of flavor, found it better with a little ice.
FINISH
Ron: Long finish with same taste as above.
Todd: Had a long but not very complex finish.
Nose 3.5 out of 5
Taste 7 out of 20
Finish 3 out of 5
Total Score 13.5 out of 20 Barrels
We know this is a low score for such a popular bourbon, and while it does have some good things going for it, nothing really jumps out at us. This is a decent Bourbon, not much more. If it were around $20, it would be one of our go to everyday drinks. At $30 or even higher, we don’t know. It is good in a cocktail, but we can find lesser price juice for that.
Our advice is to try it at a bar or friend’s house before shelling out the dough.