Woodford Reserve

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 43.2%

The official birthplace of the Whisky Slap but does it hold up?

Woodford Reserve Facts

Region: Kentucky

Age: Non Age Statement

Strength: 43.2% ABV

Colouring: Yes

Chill Filtered: Yes

Slaps: Beautifully!

Extra Information:
The official birth of the bottle slap!

Don’t want to read?
Watch the video review here!

Experience

A flat-fronted hip flask shaped bottle which is made out of surprisingly thick glass for a bottle often found on the supermarket shelves. I find the name “Distiller’s Select” a bit confusing especially when “store picks” and other terms are bounded around Bourbon but maybe that is just me?

Some well laid out facts on the label, stating batch and bottle number which helps gives a craft presentation feel which matches with the specific abv percentage of 43.2%. Overall a bit basic, but a bit basic done well.

Nose

A reverse mullet with smooth businessly cream at the front with plenty of punchy wood spice in the back.

There are a fair few classic Bourbon notes flying out from cherries to almonds to toasty oak but nothing truly stand out. Maybe it is my lack of Bourbon comparisons but was expecting a little bit more.

Taste

Middle of the road with a spice truck slip up.

The texture was surprisingly thin, almost overly watered down. Plenty of oak dominating the flavours with a little sprinkle of chili dark chocolate hanging off the tongue. The cherry ice cream starts to cool down the mouth with a good sprig of mint to finish off the taste. This certainly won’t blow anyone away but doesn’t limp away in shame.

Value for Money

Worth trying when on sale, the RRP can jog on though!

I paid £19 in my local tescos which is a very solid purchase to dip your toes into Bourbon, but for the £35 price online at RRP, that will certainly leave a bad taste in your mouth. The average seems to sit around £25 which we cannot sniff at.

For further ramblings about this bottle, feel free to check out my full Woodford Reserve Review on Youtube!