Woodford Reserve Rye uses a pre-prohibition style ratio of 53% rye in its mash bill to pay homage to history’s original rye whiskeys, making spice and tobacco the dominant note among a sea of fruit, floral, and sweet aromatics, which yields a nice sweetness and overall balance. Our rye whiskey can deliver complex flavors – neat, on ice, or in a cocktail. A balanced rye makes a more balanced cocktail.

About the Brand

INSPIRED BY BOURBON'S HISTORY
The art of making fine bourbon first took place on the site of the Woodford Reserve Distillery, a National Historic Landmark, in 1812. You get that sense of history. The history of bourbon is the history of Kentucky, is the history of the United States.

GRAIN RECIPE
Woodford Reserve is crafted from a grain recipe of 72% corn, 18% Rye, and 10% malted barley. This recipe balances the sweetness of corn with the spice of rye, and the nuttiness of malt to build the base for the world’s most flavorful bourbon.
WATER SOURCE
The water we use to craft Woodford Reserve comes directly from the distillery. It is naturally filtered by the limestone deposits under our property. Iron-free and mineral rich, it is a crucial ingredient in process.
FERMENTATION
Our fermentation process is among the longest in the industry. This extra time, paired with our unique yeast strain, creates a great depth of character and a complex range of flavors.
DISTILLATION
The perfectly balanced flavor of Woodford Reserve comes from a careful batching process of whiskey distilled in pot stills and whiskey distilled in column stills. No other whiskey can boast such a flavor combination.

Woodford Reserve Derby

Woodford Reserve, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, is honoring “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” with the release of its 2022 commemorative Derby bottle.

This year’s bottle features the artwork of Kentucky native Jaime Corum, an equine artist known for her stunning horse portraits. Corum’s painting, titled “Dreams in Bloom,” features three thoroughbreds racing neck-and-neck, surrounded by a spray of vivid spring flowers, including the iconic red roses of Derby.

Bottle Size: 750 ml

Woodford Reserve is built around flavor. The bourbon has a rich texture of flavors that create opportunities for cocktail and food pairings. Woodford Reserve is designed with perfectly proportioned flavors of depth and complexity. The smooth, balanced spirit has been celebrated as versatile and approachable, contemporary yet timeless.

Bottle Size: 750ml

The Woodford Reserve Distillery is among Kentucky's oldest and smallest bourbon distilleries. Nestled in the heart of the Commonwealth's thoroughbred country, it's the only place you'll find bourbon and horses maturing side by side. It's also the only spirits company in the world to own its own cooperage and crafts its own barrels The Woodford Reserve Distillery sits on what was once an old Distillery founded by Elijah and his son, Oscar Pepper, in the 1800s. Under the stewardship of Oscar and Master Distiller James Crow, their distillery reformed and modernized the process of producing whiskey in the United States the distillery revolutionized the concepts of sour mash and yeast propagation. Nearly two centuries later, Chris Morris Woodford Reserve's seventh master distiller pays homage to Pepper and Crow with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon. Morris, who began working at Woodford Reserve Distillery when he was just 16 years old, is one of the foremost experts in the production and maturation of bourbon and samples up to 180 unique whiskeys each day. It's about pursuing flavor through modernizing old practices, says the 55-year-old master distiller. After Prohibition, the federal government issued the Federal Alcohol Administration Act of 1935, providing guidelines for four distinctive styles of American straight whiskey: bourbon, rye, wheat, and malt. Woodford Reserve now offers all four of these unique expressions in their lineup. Inspired by post-Prohibition American whiskey guidelines this highly anticipated Woodford Reserve Wheat whiskey is influenced by historical recipes. Created by renowned Master Distiller Chris Morris, this special Woodford Reserve is distilled from 52% wheat, 20% malt, 20% corn and 8% rye.

The Woodford Reserve Distillery has been distilling on the same site for more than 235 years, making it the oldest Bourbon distillery in Kentucky. Now owned by Brown-Formanone of America's largest wine and spirits companies it has been refitted and set to expand.

History and heritage meet innovation and sophistication. Woodford Reserve is known for being full of flavors from our masterful combination of wood, water, grain, and time. For centuries Baccarat's award-winning artisans have forged crystal objects of timeless elegance from a combination of matter and fire, expertise and inspiration. Now these two icons of craftsmanship have come together to create Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition.

Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition is crafted by uniquely finishing the most flavorful and balanced Kentucky Bourbon in select XO Cognac casks for 3 years.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Oaky aroma.

Palate: A balance of crisp American and French oak notes, complex fruit character, subtle spiciness.

Finish: A creamy confectionary finish.

Unlike a typical 100% malt whiskey, Woodford Reserve is a Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey crafted from 51% malt and aged in new charred oak barrels, making it the malt whiskey for bourbon drinkers.

The base of 51 % malt results in a whiskey that is richly flavorful and complex and amplifies the nutty characteristics found in the original Woodford Reserve.

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE: Warm Umber.

NOSE: Soft nutty notes drizzled with light caramel and milk chocolate coat a layer of fruit character (apple, dried fruit, tropical fruit). Hints of brown spice, savory mint and brown sugar mingle with a rich note of freshly milled toasted oak.

TASTE: Dark chocolate and caramel coated nuts are dried out with a dusting of cocoa powder and brown spice. A fruit medley brightens a trace of toasted coconut and rich, bright oak character.

FINISH: Nutty and subtly sweet chocolate malt notes.

The art of making fine bourbon first took place on the site of the Woodford Reserve Distillery, a National Historic Landmark, in 1812. The perfectly balanced taste of our Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is comprised of more than 200 detectable flavor notes, from bold grain and wood, to sweet aromatics, spice, and fruit & floral notes.

In the 1830’s our Woodford County distillery was the setting for a series of discoveries and innovative practices that today define the bourbon industry. For this 2021 Master’s Collection release Master Distiller Chris Morris and Assistant Master Distiller, Elizabeth McCall have drawn upon that rich history and their own interests for inspiration.

In Kentucky, a fermented grain mash is traditionally called “distiller’s beer”. Distillation converts this “beer” into a spirit that will become a “Whiskey” once barreled.

This Master’s Collection is our take on crafting a spirit that exhibits the flavors of a classic beer style, in this case a rich, roasted malty stout.

“Our distillery building was constructed by Irish stonemasons in 1838. That, plus the fact that we distill in the “Irish” style with triple pot stills inspired us to mash and distill an Irish style stout beer.” – Elizabeth McCall

The result is the Fall 2021 Master’s Collection release named Five-Malt Stouted Mash, a rich and darkly robust expression of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey. 

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE: Antique Orange

NOSE: Dusky notes of roasted malt, toasted nuts all sweetened with hints of milk chocolate and brightened with a touch of orange zest, spearmint and warm baking spices. Oak, cherry cobbler and shortbread round out the malt and barrel influence.

TASTE: Malty with toasted hazelnut and cocoa highlights atop a layer of baked fruit, crisp spice and zest bounce about the depths.

FINISH: Malt and cocoa notes linger on.

The Limited Edition Woodford Reserve Holiday Bottle is made-to-gift and ready to dazzle. This season, wrap up 200 flavor notes for every holiday home bar, Christmas party, and hard-to-shop-for friend. Just like the holidays, Woodford Reserve is a Spectacle for the Senses.

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE: 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.