Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Single Barrel Bourbon SBP
D&M NOTES (10/2026):
TASTING: The whiskey is a deep amber color reflecting its extra time in a secondary barrel. We are met with a sweet nose with notes of maple syrup, marzipan, toffee, and peach crumble. On the palate, the whiskey shows a strong fruity flavor, with hints of red stone fruit, cinnamon bark, honey, and the cocoa nib flavor so typical of the Double Oaked brand coming together in a taste reminiscent of a chocolate-covered cherry! The finish on this bourbon is remarkably smooth and elegant with a hint of oak, vanilla, apple custard and a hint of walnut flavor, but no tannins to speak of, the folks at Woodford have really done an amazing job of imparting terrific flavors with the barrel and none of the astringent flavors that can come with too much wood. This is a whiskey full of character and complexity despite its lower proof, a whiskey with something for everyone.
OVERVIEW: In 2012 Woodford Reserve launched a limited time offering called Double Oaked. Double Oaked is a product that uses Woodford’s signature 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley mashbill bourbon that then spends an extra 9.5-10 months in a second barrel. The proprietary second barrel gets a 40 minute toast and a 25 second char to create the perfect vessel for imparting rich, velvety flavors. Double Oaked was so popular that Woodford decided to make it a part of their regular lineup to bourbon enthusiasts delight. We have been asking for years about selecting a single barrel of this terrific whiskey and were thrilled this year when we were finally told that we could go and select one of these special barrels.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Woodford Reserve is a premium bourbon brand created by the Brown-Forman company just 30 years ago, in 1996. Even though Woodford is a newer brand there had been distilling on their Versailles campus dating all the way back to 1812 when Elijah Pepper set up the first distillery there. In 1878, the property was sold by Elijah’s grandson to Labrot & Graham who ran it until prohibition and then again revived production after passage of the 21st Amendment. The distillery was purchased by Brown-Forman in 1941, but eventually mothballed due to declining demand in 1968 and the property sold to a local farmer. In the early 1990s, Brown Forman decided to revive production at the property to create both a premium whiskey as well as a first-class visitor experience, and to do so, they chose to create a new brand and legacy. With the resources of Brown-Forman at their disposal, Woodford set out to become a premium whiskey brand from the very beginning. To begin with, Brown-Forman commissioned three large copper pot stills as opposed to the column stills that were more common in bourbon production. In addition, Woodford’s production has remained limited to only 30-40 barrels per day allowing them to spend the time focusing on and refining all of the details of the process.