The New Woodford Reserves Master's Collection Is...

[docbible]

I couldn't agree more. I had to give most of mine away. Only kept a bottle for history's sake. Safe to bet it will remain unopened in the bunker in hopes that the cork rots to improve the palate. tim

[Lost Pollito]

Yeah... the difference between absolutely horrible and merely bad.

Ouch.........

[Lost Pollito]

I couldn't agree more. I had to give most of mine away. Only kept a bottle for history's sake. Safe to bet it will remain unopened in the bunker in hopes that the cork rots to improve the palate. tim

Double ouch......

I enjoy these experiments, and applaud the effort. Is it what we as bourbon geeks expect / crave / want? I dunno. But some of these will work towards something new that I bet....will be quite nice. Here's to trying something new!!!:icon_pidu:

[spun_cookie]

I couldn't agree more. I had to give most of mine away. Only kept a bottle for history's sake. Safe to bet it will remain unopened in the bunker in hopes that the cork rots to improve the palate. tim

I hear that..... Almost as bad as the B-Day 2009

[IronHead]

Ironhead: With 4-grain, you have to tell people if it's first or second bottling. Big difference.

Andy: Part of the way I judge experiments is I ask, "could a whiskey like this actually catch on?" As opposed to it being just a novelty where you say, at best, "that's interesting," and move on. Seasoned Oak passes that test.

It is from the first bottling. I didn't try the second.

[Ultra]

Just order a bottle of the new WRMC in aged oak. Very excited to try it.

[jburlowski]

Picked up a bottle today.

Chuck has commented on the dark color of this otherwise relatively young bourbon. To check, I did the attached comparison --- putting regular WR, the new WRMC SO, and PVW 23 SB (the oldest I had open on my bar) side-by side. You clearly can see the deep color; particularly compared to the standard WR. (NOTE: The PVW is not chill-filtered.)

From a taste standpoint, the WRMC SO is a huge improvement over its cousin. All the flavors are more complex, richer and deeper --- toffees, cloves, and other spices stand out. Also a hint of chocolate. The finish is more mellow, fruitier, and also longer and better integrated. No sense of oak or tannins. This is one sumptuous bourbon.

Is this what a longer-aged WR would taste like? I'd love to have one to compare. It certainly is a huge improvement over the standard version.

This the first of the WRMC releases that I've really liked. (The 4G was simply "WTF"; the Sonoma-Cutrer Finish interesting but too "un-bourbon-like"; the Sweet Mash was "why bother"). I applaud them for their experimentation and I hope they keep it up.

Do I like it enough to buy another at the $90 price? Probably not.

[George]

Picked up a bottle today.

Chuck has commented on the dark color of this otherwise relatively young bourbon. To check, I did the attached comparison --- putting regular WR, the new WRMC SO, and PVW 23 SB (the oldest I had open on my bar) side-by side. You clearly can see the deep color; particularly compared to the standard WR. (NOTE: The PVW is not chill-filtered.)

From a taste standpoint, the WRMC SO is a huge improvement over its cousin. All the flavors are more complex, richer and deeper --- toffees, cloves, and other spices stand out. Also a hint of chocolate. The finish is more mellow, fruitier, and also longer and better integrated. No sense of oak or tannins. This is one sumptuous bourbon.

Is this what a longer-aged WR would taste like? I'd love to have one to compare. It certainly is a huge improvement over the standard version.

This the first of the WRMC releases that I've really liked. (The 4G was simply "WTF"; the Sonoma-Cutrer Finish interesting but too "un-bourbon-like"; the Sweet Mash was "why bother"). I applaud them for their experimentation and I hope they keep it up.

Do I like it enough to buy another at the $90 price? Probably not.

Thanks for this, John. Good information and great photo.

[jburlowski]

Thanks for this, John. Good information and great photo.

Ain't science fun!

[George]

Ain't science fun!

Sure is. :grin:

[OscarV]

Good post John, I have been on the fence about getting a bottle but you convinced me that I should try it.

[cas]

I've been debating a bottle too....Guess I'm still debating.

Craig

[jburlowski]

Good post John, I have been on the fence about getting a bottle but you convinced me that I should try it.

It is definitely worth a try... if for nothing else to appreciate the impact of the finishing barreling.

Bottem line: this is a very, very good bourbon. Individuals have to decide on the value proposition.

[smokinjoe]

Thanks for the review, John. The color difference in your picture is astonishing. You didn't put a little Coke in there, did you?

I'll definitely try a bottle of this.

[cowdery]

I'm drinking some of this right now and really digging it. Finishing in the super-seasoned barrels effectively doubles the age. It tastes like the best 18-20 year old bourbons I've ever had. They're really on to something with this.

[callmeox]

I had a couple of guys on the hook to split a bottle of this three ways but one bagged on me due to a lack of self control. :cool:

Maybe I can sneak a pour from someone so that I can try it.

[jburlowski]

I'm drinking some of this right now and really digging it. Finishing in the super-seasoned barrels effectively doubles the age. It tastes like the best 18-20 year old bourbons I've ever had. They're really on to something with this.

I'm with you on this one. I hope BF is experimenting with this concept of a second barreling using toasted barrels. The WRMC seasoned the wood for too long to be economical (I would guess) for more reasonably-priced bottlings. I wonder what the effect would be for shorter seasonings.

Also, any idea why the short (8 month) second barreling had such a profound impact on the color?

[DeanSheen]

Guilty as charged! The seasonals really caught up to my budget this fall season as my eyes got too big for my brain.

I would love to try this sometime. Hey, if we wait a year I'm sure we can get it on closeout in OH!

[cowdery]

The second, extra-seasoned barrel was toasted, not charred.

Other experiments I've seen have shown that the barrel contributes color much faster than flavor, so a second barreling in a conventional barrel would also add a lot of color. I don't know the science well enough, but presumably the tannins or whatever it is in the wood that gives the whiskey its color are either concentrated or made more soluble by the long seasoning.

I think this does have the potential to be scaled-up as a product. If this type of finishing can simulate long aging, it's much less expensive to season wood for x-years than it is to age whiskey for that same number of years.

[ErichPryde]

I had a both a shock and dissapointment tonight. I walked into an ABC on the East side of wichita and found a bottle of this whiskey (which was a shock because I haven't seen any and didn't expect to). Even more of a shock was the shelf tag- which read 72.99! Knowing what it costs everywhere else, I took my prize up to the counter to purchase it, and it scanned at 90 dollars (The disappointment).

I showed the clerk the shelf tag, and it actually read "1.75L" in smaller letters after the "WOODFORD RESERVE" tag. I asked if he could honor the shelf price, and he apologetically told me no. I can't blame him- I wouldn't have wanted to honor it, either. That bottle was the only one they got and it wasn't supposed to be out from behind the counter.

I didn't buy the bottle. I guess the real question is whether or not I should go back for it, but 90 is just a lot to gamble with when I know I could find another bottle that I really love for half as much.

[Bourbon Geek]

The second, extra-seasoned barrel was toasted, not charred.

Other experiments I've seen have shown that the barrel contributes color much faster than flavor, so a second barreling in a conventional barrel would also add a lot of color. I don't know the science well enough, but presumably the tannins or whatever it is in the wood that gives the whiskey its color are either concentrated or made more soluble by the long seasoning.

I think this does have the potential to be scaled-up as a product. If this type of finishing can simulate long aging, it's much less expensive to season wood for x-years than it is to age whiskey for that same number of years.

[loose proton]

...question is whether or not I should go back for it, but 90 is just a lot to gamble with...

If you want to try it, yes. It's not hit our shelves yet. It'll go $100 here. I plan to get two bottles.

[OscarV]

I had a couple of guys on the hook to split a bottle of this three ways but one bagged on me due to a lack of self control. :cool:

Let's see if we can round up another 3rd.

A 4-way would be ideal.

If that fails you wanna go 50-50?

[callmeox]

Let's see if we can round up another 3rd.

A 4-way would be ideal.

If that fails you wanna go 50-50?

Deal.

And Mr. Sheen gets none, not even a sniff of my empty glass. :grin:

[DeanSheen]

Fine, I'll just keep this bottle of Steegal Veller over here for awhile longer.

(your fingers probably smell better anyhow)