Sips & Sites & Bites

Woodford Reserve just released a new, limited-edition bottle as part of its annual Distillery Series … Toasted Oak Four Grain.

For this expression, the iconic whiskey maker put together a blend of Woodford Reserve’s Bourbon, Rye, Wheat and Malt whiskeys.

For this new release, the whiskey was first aged in a standard new oak barrel, and was then finished in heavily toasted new oak barrels. What that brought about is a whiskey with a baked pecan color and a toasted oak flavor with wood spice and a hint of maple syrup and butterscotch, according to the distiller.

Interestingly, this is the first Woodford Reserve release to have Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall’s name on the label. Earlier this year, she took over the role of master distiller from Chris Morris, who now serves as Master Distiller Emeritus. 

“I am thrilled for Toasted Oak Four Grain to be the first Woodford Reserve release with my name on it as master distiller,” McCall said. “Experimenting and creating new products is one of the most exciting parts of my job, allowing us to explore new flavors. This is the first of many special releases we have planned in the coming years.”

Woodford Reserve’s Distillery Series was created to push creative boundaries and introduce new whiskeys to the market. This selection is available for purchase in limited quantities at the Woodford Reserve Distillery and limited Kentucky retailers. 

McCall’s tasting notes for the Toasted Oak Four Grain:

Color: Toasted pecan.

Aroma: Sweet hints of marzipan, honeycomb, brown sugar and butterscotch round out a touch of toasted oak.

Flavor: Toasted oak, very slight wood spices with touches of maple syrup and butterscotch.

Finish: Crisp and subtly sweet.

Toasted Oak Four Grain comes in 375ml bottles and clocks in at 90.4 proof. It has a suggested retail price of $59.99. For more information, check out www.woodfordreserve.com.