Currency and Delivery Country

We're just loading our login box for you, hang on!

Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve is such a fixture among bourbon lovers that it’s hard to imagine that the brand only dates back to 1996 when it was launched by Brown-Forman. At the time the category was just beginning to recover after years in the doldrums, and the launch of a premium bourbon was a big statement of faith by the American whiskey giant. Named after Woodford County in Kentucky, initially it was made at the company’s Shively distillery. But in 1994 the parent company bought the old Labrot and Graham Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, which it had previously sold off in 1971 and refurbished it to make Woodford Reserve.

This old distillery can trace its roots back to the pioneering days of American whiskey. A distiller named Elijah Pepper began producing small amounts of whiskey in 1797 in his little set-up, just behind the Woodford County Courthouse in Versailles, Kentucky. His product was popular and it wasn’t long before he required a more substantial premises. Elijah founded his new distillery in 1812 on Grassy Springs in Glenn’s Creek, not far outside of Versailles. Following Elijah’s death in 1831, his son Oscar Pepper hired Dr James Crow as the head distiller. Crow was a Scotsman and both physician and chemist. He is credited with championing sour mash fermentation, a key process with regard to the consistency of bourbon.

Oscar Pepper died in 1865 and in 1878 the distillery was acquired by a French whiskey broker called Leopold Labrot and his partner, Kentucky-born James Graham. Labrot and Graham extended the facilities and ran their business under the name the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. Save for closure during Prohibition, Labrot and Graham ran the distillery until 1940 when it was acquired by the Brown-Forman Corporation of Louisville. The distillery was intended to help the brand cope with the surge in demand following the abolition of Prohibition. Sadly, the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery fell into disuse shortly after, when smaller distilleries were deemed too costly and inefficient, and it was sold in 1971 and moth-balled.

But in 1995, the firm bought it back and in 2003 it was renamed the Woodford Reserve Distillery. Three years earlier it had been designated a National HIstoric Landmark and it is now one of the most notable stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

The Woodford Reserve flavour starts with a high-rye mash bill, 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. The water source is crucial too, high in calcium thanks to the limestone in the area. The distillery has its own yeast strain, 72B for all the yeast aficionados out there, which is different to other brands in the Brown-Forman portfolio. Fermentation is very slow, up to seven days in Cypress wood washbacks. Like many traditional American whiskeys, Woodford Reserve uses the sour mash process where some of the residue from distillation is added to the next ferment. This lowers the pH which inhibits the growth of bacteria which might spoil the ferment.

The distillation process, however, is unusual. The distillery uses copper pot stills made in Scotland and triple distillation. There is also some column still new make made using a Vendome column beer still. Before going into new white oak barrels produced by the Brown-Forman cooperage, the spirit is reduced to 55% ABV, and all ageing takes place on site. The flagship expression doesn’t carry an age statement though it contains whiskey between six and seven years old, and it is bottled at 43.2% ABV.

To meet demand, in 2013 Brown-Forman began a US$35 million investment in the distillery with the creation of three new warehouses with the capacity to store 165,000 barrels, a new bottling line, and three new pot stills.

Since its launch in 1996, Woodford Reserve has been recognised the world over as one of the finest bourbons money can buy. If you’re looking for an all-rounder in your drinks cupboard that is great to sip neat as well as in cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, or Mint Julep, then look no further. Fittingly, Woodford Reserve is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby.

In addition to the classic expression, master distiller Chris Morris produces a range of other whiskeys including straight rye, a cask strength edition, and the fabulous Baccarat edition which spends an extra three years in XO Cognac casks.

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon

70cl, 43.2%

The mashbill for Woodford Reserve features a high percentage of rye: 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malt. The whiskey is also unusual for being triple distilled and having the lowest proof upon entering…  More info

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon
187
£33.40
Best Seller

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey

70cl, 45.2%

The Woodford Reserve team has gone and made its very own wheat whiskey! If you like your whiskeys to be wonderfully creamy with a good helping of fruity sweetness to them, you've come to the right…  More info

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey
4
£36.90

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon – Father's Day Edition

70cl, 43.2%

Need a Father's Day pressie for a dad who happens to be a bourbon fan? Woodford Reserve has you covered with this bottling of its fantastic Kentucky Bourbon featuring the phrase "Happy Father's Day"…  More info

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon – Father's Day Edition
1
£37.99

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey

70cl, 45.2%

Woodford Reserve may be better known for its brilliant bourbon, but the team in Kentucky isn't resting on its laurels one bit. It's continuing to explore the wide world of whiskey, which includes…  More info

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey
2
£39.94

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye

70cl, 45.2%

Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Straight Rye whiskey has made it to our shores! Produced using a mash-bill of 53% rye, this rye shows off its spice up front and balances it well with notes of fresh fruit…  More info

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye
10
£49.50
Price Drop

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

70cl, 43.2%

It's finally here - the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. This expression begins life being aged in the same way as the classic Woodford Reserve, but following this, it…  More info

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
82
£58.99
£57.90

Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition

70cl, 45.2%

This right here is an extraordinarily snazzy expression from Woodford Reserve bourbon, which has been allowed a three-year-long finishing period in XO Cognac casks! This allows plenty of time for the…  More info

Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition
£1,349.90

Woodford Reserve Batch Proof - Master's Collection (123.2 Proof)

70cl, 61.6%

Part of the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection, Batch Proof is made from the same mash bill as its core Kentucky straight bourbon, but bottled at a higher proof of 123.2 (61.6% ABV). This is a…  More info

Woodford Reserve Batch Proof - Master's Collection (123.2 Proof)

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 136

100cl, 45.2%

A special edition of Woodford Reserve Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, released to mark the 136th Kentucky Derby and with a label featuring artwork from Janeen Barnhart. This bottle was part of…  More info

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 136

Recently viewed