Individual Review: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked - Pyramid Wine and Spirits Barrel Pick

Opening Statements (AKA Description of the Whiskey): Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced and bottled by Woodford Reserve Distillery which is owned by the parent company Brown-Forman. Opening in 1812 as the Labrot and Graham Distillery, the Woodford Reserve Distillery building is one of the oldest distillery facilities still standing in the United States and has produced a plethora of distinguished whiskeys over the past 200 years (although the building has not continuously operated as a distillery over the past 2 centuries). In 1996 Brown-Forman began using the historic distillery to create the Woodford Reserve line of whiskeys. Wood Reserve Double Oaked entered the market in 2012 and has been an ongoing release since. It uses the exact same mash bill as Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select. What makes this bourbon unique is that after it has matured in its initial barrel, the whiskey is then moved into a brand new lightly charred and heavily toasted barrel for an undisclosed period of time before bottling. Woodford does not say when the bourbons are batched together. Hence, it could be before or after placing them into the secondary barrels. They could even batch this whiskey before AND after secondary barreling. Regardless, Woodford claims that this double barreling process "extracts additional soft, sweet oak character." This specific bottle is a barrel pick selected by Pyramid Wine and Spirits in Memphis, Tennessee and can only be purchased at their store. Parent Company: Brown-Forman Distillery & Bottling Company: Woodford Reserve Distillery Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley Proof: 90.4 Age: At Least 4 Years Direct Examination (AKA Tasting Notes): Nose: Creamy Milk Chocolate, Heavy Barrel Char, Burnt Caramel, Strong Ethanol Palate: Barrel Char, Dark Chocolate, Herbal Tobacco, Medium Pop of Pepper Finish: Smoky Hickory Charcoal, Milk Chocolate, Waxy Tree Nuts, Tobacco, Slightly Bitter Oak, and Light Pepper Mouth Feel: Medium Length: Medium Cross Examination (AKA The Whiskey's Shortcomings): There are not any unique flavors and there is a slight bitterness on the back end.

Closing Arguments (AKA Conclusions about the Whiskey): This bourbon is a great crowd pleaser. It goes down without hardly any burn and is very creamy. The chocolate notes balance well with the herbal and woody flavors. This is a quality whiskey that few would not enjoy drinking. All that being said, this bourbon lacks an x-factor that makes it stand out above other bottles on the shelf. This does not mean it is a bad whiskey, it just means that there isn't anything really unique about it. It also has a twinge of bitterness on the back end, which I assume is the byproduct of being barrelled twice in charred oak. It sells for $60, which is not cheap. However, I do not think anyone would be truly upset with this price point for the quality here. That being said, I do believe it is a little overpriced (but few bourbons are not these days). Despite the small shortcomings of this whiskey, I cannot imagine anyone would be disappointed with getting a bottle. This particular barrel pick can only be found at Pyramid Wine and Spirits in Memphis, Tennessee.

Verdict: 7.5 Verdict Key: 10: I do not posses the vocabulary to adequately or accurately describe this masterpiece. It should not be be possible for man to create such art. 9: Incredible. Hoard this stuff. Paying secondary market prices is totally worth it. 8: A real pleasure to sip. Always try to have at least one bottle and a back up on hand. 7: A solid pour. Daily drinker for sure. Try to have a bottle on hand. 6: Would not say no to a pour if offered to me, but I won't go out of my way to find it. 5: Good to mix with a coke. 4: Swing and a miss. A mixer makes it tolerable. 3: Only if I had nothing else to drink in the house. 2: Was this made in a prison toilet? 1: This is the stuff the KGB used to slowly and painfully kill prisoners. 0: An abomination of epic proportions. Should not be called whiskey.