Woodford Reserve Releases Its Oldest Bourbon Ever
The “Very Rare Fine Bourbon” title says it all.
Woodford Reserve’s newest whiskey is aged 17 years, complex, and likely delicious, but all you really need to know is on the label: “Very Rare Fine Bourbon.”
Arriving as the 15th release in the Versailles, Kentucky distillery’s ongoing Master’s Collection, the 45.2-percent ABV/90.4-proof spirit began aging in rare barrels in 2003, the year that Chris Morris took over as Master Distiller.
“The name Very Fine Rare Bourbon is a nod to the descriptors used by our ancestors to auction highly-aged bourbon barrel lots,” Morris said. “While Woodford Reserve will always honor the past, this Master’s Collection is about the present and future.”
Woodford’s oldest bourbon to date also gets a modern new bottle in a simple flask-shape, as opposed to the pot-still-inspired design that that contained past Master’s Collection expressions. Adding to the “Burnt Sienna” brown liquid’s significance is its hangtag, which includes Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall’s name for the first time since she received the title in 2018.
See the the official tasting notes below:
- Aroma: Layers of rich oak sweet aromatic notes, caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, vanilla merge into a cured tobacco character brightened with apple fruit
- Flavor: Very old oak notes sweetened with honey balanced by a
- touch of citrus and apple peel and a touch of clove spice
- Finish: A long finish of raisin fruit and malty sweetness
Priced at $129.99, Woodford Reserve Very Rare Fine Bourbon is available in select U.S. and global markets.