The Bourbon that’s been making history for more than two-hundred years.
There has been distilling on the Woodford Reserve Distillery site for more than 235 years, making it the oldest Bourbon distillery in Kentucky. Now owned by Brown-Forman — one of America’s largest wine and spirits companies — it has been refitted and set to expand. Since the beginning, the folks at Woodford have been influential in the development and codifying of Bourbon production. In short, they helped invent the Spirit as we know and love it today.
We do not have enough room here to list all the awards and accolades. People just LOVE Woodford Reserve Bourbon. We do too. But let’s be perfectly clear… there are definitely some higher end Bourbons out there. Heck, Woodford has a few top-end offerings that are wonderful. But when it comes to that magic combination of producing a high-quality Whiskey that consistently tastes great, has superior mouth-feel and texture, smells like the tears of angels, AND is affordable to most folks as a daily dram… Woodford Reserve is hard to beat.
Smartass Corner: Woodford Reserve Distillery is named after the county where it’s located. But two-hundred odd years ago, founder Elijah Pepper named the distillery after his son, calling it the Oscar Pepper Distillery.
What does Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon Whiskey taste like?
The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon Whiskey and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
Dog Dogson's
Smartass Corner
Bourbons have very prominent notes of vanilla, as American White Oak is naturally high in vanillins.
Initially thought of cinnamon spice, but after a few more sips found to be the heavy contrast of vanilla, pepper and caramel. It is has a very confusing pungent taste for me.
Jaakko,
Colour is dark as anything. A bit dull though? Nose has fruits at least. Maybe that sweet tobacco also. Honey in the taste! Awesome. It's very nice but sort of basic, isn't it? I had some bourbons that were very confusing and had lots of personality but this is just rather sweet and fun and normal. I like the warm sweet start much. It's fine to own a bottle but not something I could really describe to anyone or pressure someone to get one for themselves.
Francis,
Flavour spiral is bang on for me, though I did struggle to percieve the mint. Its a very smooth drink, almost slick. Sweet and thick vanilla caramel. Equally lacks the depth of my favourite scotch drinks but a fine and easy drinking bourbon.
Johannes,
Nice taste, very approachable, easy to drink and enjoy. Syrup, vanilla, oak in a nice mix, still being also kind of light. And by light, i mean this being very easy to drink.
Paul,
As every Flaviar member already knows, Woodford Reserve produces a very nice range of bourbon. That said, I joined Flaviar to be exposed to unusual bourbons, not bourbon I can get at ASDA. Very disappointed with this quarters selection of bourbon and I hope to see an improvement.
Terrance,
Nice and smooth. Easy to drink neat. A good one to share with friends.
Chance,
Classic bourbon flavours. Cherry, brown sugar and a good amount of oak.
Really nice whiskey, prefer it neat as compared to on the rocks or with coke.
Brian,
I found this bourbon to be very enjoyable as a ‘not a special occasion’ libation. I enjoy the pipe tobacco on the nose and detect a little citrus. The palate is pretty typical of bourbon - spice, caramel, a little vanilla. But the most interesting to me is the finish - I detect coffee and chocolate, and I like that.
Brian,
This is an enjoyable bourbon that neatly fits into the ‘standard’ tier of bourbons (I’m beginning to become a little paranoid about the term ‘daily drinker’ - lol). Enjoyable neat, and a few drops of water brings out the pepper while simultaneously taming the very slight alcohol burn. A cube or two of ice highlights the sweetness.
guest,
A great bourbon for drinking straight or in a cocktail
PATRICK,
If you're looking to sip on some bourbon that won't break the bank or burn the throat, look no further.
Matthew,
A great staple bourbon and a must try for anyone who's staying out on the spirit
Laura,
Great taste, smooth, aroma!
Oscar,
Excellent bourbon, with very mild flavors of vanilla, caramel and a slight spicy touch, a must-try bourbon. One of my favorite .
Fabian,
One of my favorites, smooth and hickory.
Scott,
Good solid bourbon.
guest,
Smooth vanilla a caramel with a lasting finish. Smooth and enriched with spicy notes as secondary notes. Great Price/Quality Bourbon
Jonathan,
Smooth with a warm full-mouth smoky experience, strong vanilla, slight hint of sweetness, but only to balance the smokiness. Spice exists, but only when on the tongue adding a nice tingling sensation. Clean finish.
Nestled amid the rolling hills of bluegrass and thoroughbred farms sits one of Kentucky’s oldest and smallest distilleries. The iconic Woodford Reserve Distillery sits on the grounds of a National historic landmark. It is Kentucky’s oldest distilling site where the legendary Elijah Pepper began crafting whiskey in 1812. It was on this same sacred soil that years later, Master Distiller James Christopher Crow developed his whiskey-making methods, alongside Oscar Pepper, “which today have become common practice, including the implementation of sour mash into fermentation.” Revolutionizing concepts of sour mash and yeast propagation, and modernizing the process of whiskey production in the US.
Woodford Reserve’s Distillery houses an impressive 500-foot-long gravity-fed barrel run, along with their iconic copper pot stills, and 100-year-old cypress wood fermenters. Their facility also has one of the only heat cycled barrelhouses in the world. An impressive mechanism which gives Woodford Reserve its color and signature flavor.
Woodford Reserve is also the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. Ironically even though Woodford is the official bourbon, Brown-Forman’s Old Forester serves as the bourbon base in the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, The Mint Julep.
guest,
Smoos
Ryan,
Probably one of my favorite bourbons(behind the first release of Russel's Reserve). An extremely smooth sipper.
Vladislavs,
Being hardcore Irish whiskey lower... have to admit - this bourbon is really nice! One of the best in the class
Thomas,
Caramel and vanilla all the way but not too sweet; pleasant woody finish. Very enjoyable!
Susanna,
I really loved this bourbon. It was excellent in every way. I would buy more of this.
Jason,
Strong first impression, better on the rocks
guest,
Smooth vanilla slight burn chocolate finish
Lawrence,
Thick. Honey and spices. Little smoke. Long finish
Rich,
Easy sipper, very good in a cocktail. A little simple, but still a classic.
Barry,
Great flavor. Very smooth.
Gary,
Smooth, great flavors that come through.
Lee,
An excellent go to with hints of spice and oak
Owen,
Not bad :)
Thomas,
My favorite of the three in my tasting box.
Kelvin,
This seems to always find it's way into my home bar. Makes an amazing old fashioned ( I do prefer rye in mine though) and is easy to sip especially on ice. Has a lovely spicy mouthfeel and all the typical bourbon notes along with it. Solid whisky!!!!
Steven,
Beyond smooth!
James,
Smooth, Carmel with hints of cherry and mint
Salvator,
Smooth. Rich. Great finish.
Chris,
Love it. Had a couple last night at home, smooth caramel with a great finish.
Kipton,
Missing the punch for me... I prefer to Mix this Bourbon
Jeremy,
I have a single barrel select that is a double oak. Awesome whiskey
Eduardo,
Nice caramel and vanilla aroma, smooth in the palate with some pepper and sweet finishing
Carey,
Very smooth sipping bourbon
Michael,
Great sipping bourbon
Lynda,
Good, easy to drink bourbon.
Bob,
Good Bourbon. Sweet on the aftertaste
Patrick,
One of my go-to bourbons. Has a bite up front, but the mellow flavors rise pleasantly as the bite subsides. Sweet caramel is very strong.
Shawn,
My everyday favorite. I drink it neat.
Tom,
Oaky with a bite. Mellow aftertaste. My go to Bourbon.
guest,
One of my favorites.
ron,
Just average
guest,
Nice sweet taste...it's easy to taste honey and vanilla with a good spicy end...it doesn't cost so much but it worth more than you're going to spend.
guest,
Spicy yet smooth. Goes down very easily.
guest,
Sweet vanilla and honey, a bit reminding of rye
Bill,
Slight Smokey flavor, missing the heavy oak flavor (that's a plus for me)
Walker,
One of my go-to's. Love the smoothness!!!
Jon,
I accidentally told a guy this was wheated. Got ahead of myself.
Joseph,
Nothing overpowering. Good overall. Sweet and vanilla at the front. Very mild smoke at the finish. Not a lot of spice or long finish. A great can't -get-hurt bourbon. Will appeal to a wide audience. You should have this in your collection to offer to guests who like a "mild" bourbon.
Sercan,
Very well!👌🏽
August,
One of my very favorites!
Lou,
One of my absolute favorites and my go to bourbon. Pleasantly sweet with that simple bourbon character. While I enjoy trying new thing, I always have a bottle of this
Shawn,
A bit harsh for my taste when served neat. A single cube tames the burn a bit.
James,
Beautiful, very enjoyable to drink. Smooth with and excellent finish. This bourbon is the gift that keeps on giving.
Juan,
It's smooth with a nice kick.., definitely smell and taste the vanilla and mint!
guest,
More of a rum guy but this is my go to Bourbon everytime.... Let's just say Old Fashioned
guest,
One of the best bourbon in this price
Steven,
One of my favorite bourbons.
guest,
Smooth
Timothy,
Great flavor, I like how smooth it is.
guest,
Smooth with a slight bite
guest,
Pretty smooth
Deja,
It's got s bite but not terrible.
Michael,
Very smooth, smoky flavor.
guest,
More bite than Bullit....but almost identical in price. For 15 bucks a pint a prefer the Bullit burboun
Jeffrey,
My "go to" house bourbon.
Israel,
Great bottle, a must have, pretty smooth and tasty.
Mitch,
My favorite bourbon for several years now. Intense vanilla up front with a smooth spicy finish that lingers. Like drinking leather. By far the best bourbon for the price.
Aric,
I little one note. I had a hard time getting past the vanilla.
Kyle,
Sweet up front with a long comfortable burn throughout; smoky and woody flavors make this very enjoyable. I think it actually benefits from a half cube of ice.
Joe,
Pretty good. I think for the money I can get better bourbons of similar tastes. But I do see why this is considered a top tier bourbon at each of its levels. Probably best described as a good at everything but not great at any one thing, so it will please a wider audience
James,
One of my favorite bourbons nice and smooth.
Mark,
I'm a sucker for vanilla and this definitely has the aroma and initial taste. I just wish it lasted longer. The spice kicks in quickly and lingers between sips. (I'm new at this, so I could be mistaking "spice" for the alcohol content just letting you know it's there)
Andrew,
Very smooth caramel great multi faceted bourbon
guest,
Velvety smoothness, and only a touch of sweetness. Aside from that, this is a bland and unimpressive bourbon that leaves your tongue expecting more from it. I'd heard many good things about this bourbon, only to be mildly disappointed.
Ben,
I really liked the finish on this one, the smell is a caramel and vanilla combo that was very pleasing. The taste is not sweet and I didn't expect it to be, but the taste hit me like a brick, but not in a bad way!
Otniel,
Very sweet smooth taste. Great neat or with ice.
guest,
Great stuff! It's bold.
Ryan,
Very sweet floral/vanilla nose. Caramel-corn and oak on the palate. Short bitter finish, unfortunately. Too sweet then bitter. Try Four Roses if you like sweet without the bitter finish.
guest,
So smooth
guest,
Different than any other bourbon I've tried so far
Geoff,
Smooth. A treat.
Gregory,
Nice sipping whiskey.
guest,
love it
guest,
Excellent neat or blended into classic bourbon cocktails. Subtle sweet flavours that satisfy every time
guest,
The finest bourbon I have tasted, yet.
guest,
Easy drinker, full bodied and great in an old fashioned
guest,
The gold standard. Smooth and warm.
Chirag,
Strong and hits you nicely
Aleksandr,
Fire-y after taste
Lynn,
Gorgeous sweet bourbon.
guest,
Lovely smooth sweet bourbon.
guest,
Enjoyed the vanilla/honey flavor. Quite a smooth finish. Big fan
guest,
There is a lot of hype.
guest,
Smooth
Mikail,
Good bourbon! Decent regular drinker if you fancy a change from other bourbons or Tennessee whiskey.