Seems we have been on a roll lately with “finished” whiskeys, that is juice that is aged the traditional way in oak and then spends more time in another barrel. These second barrels could be another charred oak, a toasted oak, or barrels that have had other liquids in them besides whiskey, think port, rum, etc.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is aged a second time in lightly charred oak barrels. From their website “An innovative approach to twice-barreled bourbon creates the rich and colorful flavor of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Uniquely matured in separate, charred oak barrels – the second barrel deeply toasted before a light charring”. Toasted before charring? We always thought it was one or the other. Basically, charring is taking a blow torch to the inside of the barrel, the more you burn it the deeper the char. Toasted barrels are exposed to a lower level of heat for a longer time, but without turning it black, charred barrels are much darker inside, almost burnt-looking. It would seem that toasting it and then charring it would nullify the toasting process, but hey, what do we know?
You can find Woodford Reserve Double Oaked just about anywhere spirits are sold. It sells for around $50 and is 90.4 proof. Couldn’t get much info on the website, but with a little investigating, we found that it is aged between 4 and 6 years and has a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. Double Oaked comes in the same, somewhat classy, corked bottle of almost all the other Woodford whiskeys.
We here at Talking Bourbon have had an up-and-down relationship with their standard, the huge-selling Woodford Reserve Bourbon. We both used to like it, being one of the first premium style Bourbons tasted. Then, a combination of finding it not quite to our tastes and a steady increase in pricing led us away from it. Now the price doesn’t seem that high, and we find it is a decent Bourbon for the price. We really liked their rye but thought their wheat was just alright. Here’s to hoping Double Oaked is a hit. One thing, we could not figure out why it is called Woodford Reserve Distillery and not just Woodford Distillery.
NOSE
Matt: First impression, wood, wet wood. Also, get some brown sugar, cherries, rye, and a bit of toastiness. Ice brought out more wood.
Todd: Hey, maybe the toasting and then charring works. I definitely got the wood, maybe hickory along with some caramel, black fruit, and leather. Also got a slight hint of cinnamon. Seems to have a smooth scent, whatever that means.
TASTE
Matt: Still get the wood, but the taste is more oaky than it was on the nose. Picking up caramel and an overall sweetness with just a touch of the cinnamon that Todd got on the nose. Ice brought out a little more of the cinnamon and sweetness.
Todd: Oak, cedar, and caramel with some touches of black fruit and leather. I do get a touch of spice, but not the cinnamon. Ice made it sweeter.
FINISH
Matt: Medium-short with some woodiness.
Todd: Medium with some more sweetness.
OVERALL
Matt: Good flavor, better than the regular Woodford, but not very complex, which, once you hit the $50 threshold, is something I look for and expect.
Todd: I like it but agree it is not as complex as others at that price. I used to really love this stuff, but is has been a while since I have had it. Sadly, it does not live up to my memories.
Nose 3.75 out of 5
Taste 7.75 out of 10
Finish 3.5 out of 5
Total score 15 out of 20 barrels.
Double Oaked is somewhat hard to shoehorn. It is a good drinking Bourbon, smooth with a nice sweetness and a touch of spice. But we both expected more in complexity. The price is at the edge of some people’s budget, and if you are going to ante up the extra, you want to feel like you are getting something for your additional cash, not just a story. It is also a little high in price to put in cocktails.
We have a system when drinking whiskey. Start with a drink from the nicer bottle, and if we need another drink (which we always do), open up a lesser-price bottle, and so on. Double Oaked seems like that second or even third bottle, while the price does not.
In the end, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is $50, and the regular Woodford is $30, and we both like the Double Oak better. Is it $20 better? Probably.