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

[ACDetroit]

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

A 4-way would be ideal.

If that fails you wanna go 50-50?

If you have not found a 3rd yet, I'll be your Huckleberry! Let me know and I'll run to work early one morning and have Coffee with the big "O" and give him the cash!

Cheers!

Tony

[callmeox]

If you have not found a 3rd yet, I'll be your Huckleberry! Let me know and I'll run to work early one morning and have Coffee with the big "O" and give him the cash!

Cheers!

Tony

Three it is!

Now we need to track down a bottle. No sign of it in Ahia yet, but it has been on the price list for months.

[OscarV]

If you have not found a 3rd yet, I'll be your Huckleberry! Let me know and I'll run to work early one morning and have Coffee with the big "O" and give him the cash!

Cheers!

Tony

Three it is!

Now we need to track down a bottle. No sign of it in Ahia yet, but it has been on the price list for months.

I'm going to KY the weekend of Dec 5-6, I'll try to score then.

[jburlowski]

I'm going to KY the weekend of Dec 5-6, I'll try to score then.

Oscar:

Any chance of getting together for a drink that weekend? Send me a a PM.

[CajunKY]

Picked up a bottle tonight and there is plenty more where that came from. If anyone needs help getting one let me know.

-Clay

[spun_cookie]

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

crap...its a WRMC....

[cowdery]

We're on page six of this thread and no one else has said what they think of this whiskey, except in theory.

I'm dying to see some other tasting notes.

[callmeox]

crap...its a WRMC....

That's very closed minded of you, Em. Have you tasted it or are you just letting prior prejudices taint your judgment?

(yes, I used taint in a sentence)

[Lost Pollito]

Taint.

[shoshani]

We're on page six of this thread and no one else has said what they think of this whiskey, except in theory.

I'm dying to see some other tasting notes.

It's dry. Which is not bad at all. I usually expect bourbon to be sweet, of course, especially anything made by B-F. But still, my first taste brought to mind the old ads for Paul Jones and how it was a "dry" whiskey. I've never tasted anything like this, so it was quite a revelation.

It has a strong note of bittersweet chocolate, which must be from the mashbill because Old Forester has a similar note. It also....there's a slight wine-like quality that I can't really explain. Viscous, which is great. I like thick, oily whiskey.

Overall I was quite pleased. At its price I don't drink it every day but I do trot it out for friends that I know will appreciate it.

Caveat: If you're drinking several bourbons, make this your final one. The aftertaste lingers forever and will color anything else you drink afterward.

[Josh]

It's dry. Which is not bad at all. I usually expect bourbon to be sweet, of course, especially anything made by B-F. But still, my first taste brought to mind the old ads for Paul Jones and how it was a "dry" whiskey. I've never tasted anything like this, so it was quite a revelation.

It has a strong note of bittersweet chocolate, which must be from the mashbill because Old Forester has a similar note. It also....there's a slight wine-like quality that I can't really explain. Viscous, which is great. I like thick, oily whiskey.

Overall I was quite pleased. At its price I don't drink it every day but I do trot it out for friends that I know will appreciate it.

Caveat: If you're drinking several bourbons, make this your final one. The aftertaste lingers forever and will color anything else you drink afterward.

Damn, you may have just talked my cheap ass into buying one.

[spun_cookie]

:27:

That's very closed minded of you, Em. Have you tasted it or are you just letting prior prejudices taint your judgment?

(yes, I used taint in a sentence)

after purchasing the first 3 for a mint... my mind has become closed to their stabs in the dark... I do think my response was harsher than the humor I was going for... but then I remember sucking on those old penny bottles and I just do not have teh stomach to try a 4th... got me once, shame on you, got me twice, shame on me... got me the 3rd time and I jus ain’t that bright... ... but I'll be damned if I go for a forth...

I'm dying to see some other tasting notes.

...but if you want to send me a sample... I'll write up some notes for ya... I promise not to use baby diapers to discribe it

[loose proton]

initial impressions. I was surprised by the bold, in-your-face flavor. The aftertaste reminded me of EC 18yo aftertaste. Unique. I like it.

[jburlowski]

We're on page six of this thread and no one else has said what they think of this whiskey, except in theory.

I'm dying to see some other tasting notes.

What the hell was this (from 11/06/09)?

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.

[cowdery]

I meant except me and you, John.

[funknik]

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.

This WRMC was entered into the NH system today and looks like it will list as available on 12/08/09 . . . the asking price??? Erich guessed it, $72.99 . . . don't know if I'll splurge on this, though.

[Ruby K]

probably won't snag it for a bit, but may grab it for my still not named nyc bourbon collective.

[DeanSheen]

I saw 4 of these today at my local in Ohio. At $90 I'll be awaiting your reviews before I jump on it. It is dark as hell I'll tell you that, even the liquor store guy noticed it.

[BourbonJoe]

Anybody know how old the bourbon is??

Joe :usflag:

[bourbonv]

Chuck,

I had some at the Brown Forman dinner at the Bourbon's Bistro on Monday. I found it quite good. From Memory I would say my tasting notes are this:

Color: a rich amber red.

Nose: Caramel toffee with a hint of dark fruit such as blackberries.

Taste: very sweet caramel and chocolate with the dark fruit coming out as it breathes - say 10 minutes of sitting in the glass.

Finish: Starts sweet with the chocolate and caramel but becomes drier as time passes with oak wood dryness that seems to last for a long time making you want to take another sip.

In my opinion this is a very good product. Is it worth the price? For a collector, Yes. There is a very limited amount available and it will never be done again so the rarity of the bottle makes it worth the price because it is only going to go up. For the drinker it is a bit expensive. I would place this in the same quality range as Old Forester Birthday Bourbon making it a $40.00 to $50.00 bottle.

Joe,

Don't fall for "the older is better" mindset - I would say this bourbon is matured about right whatever the age. Any older would probably make it too tannic and bitter. Anyway I think Chris was saying it is simply regular Woodford finished in the special barrels for several months, so it is probably about 7 or 8 years old at the most.

Does that help on opinions of the product?

Mike Veach

[BourbonJoe]

Joe,

Don't fall for "the older is better" mindset - I would say this bourbon is matured about right whatever the age. Any older would probably make it too tannic and bitter. Anyway I think Chris was saying it is simply regular Woodford finished in the special barrels for several months, so it is probably about 7 or 8 years old at the most.

Does that help on opinions of the product?

Mike Veach

[bourbonv]

Sorry Joe, I should have known better. You are too knowledgable to fall into that mind set.

Mike Veach

[sailor22]

It has a strong note of bittersweet chocolate, which must be from the mashbill because Old Forester has a similar note. It also....there's a slight wine-like quality that I can't really explain. Viscous, which is great. I like thick, oily whiskey.

I'm guessing it is from the seasoned oak. Some of the '70's Bourbons I have sampled have a similar dark chocolate character (Dan't and some Crows) and I'm assuming they had different mash bills.

Given the slow down in the industry in the 70's it's possible that older more seasoned wood was mixed in with newer stuff when barrels were manufactured because they just weren't making them as fast. That might account for the chocolate character and less than consistent flavor profiles I get from some older bottlings.

[smokinjoe]

I picked up a bottle of this yesterday, and have sat down to a couple of short sessions with it. By far, my favorite of the WR Master's Collection. Robert is right, this is seriously dark whiskey. The notes of dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, and sweet caramel mentioned by others, are there for me, too. A nicely extended and dry finish. I really like this bourbon. But, I'll issue a warning. The signature WR nose (which has seemed to be magnified in the Master's Collection Series, BTW) is prevalent. If you have a dislike for it, you might be disappointed with this.

(Some call it "copper/penny" I think it's more cantaloupe rind, myself. And, I don't mind it. Actually, I appreciate the "Signature Distinctness" it gives, much like the signature distinctness of an Islay scotch. But like Islays, it definitely ain't for everybody.)

All in all, I think they did very well with this. This is the only edition of the Collection that I would consider buying another bottle of. But, at $99 it's pretty steep. Maybe, I'll wait until I get back to The Motherland, to pick up another.

[JamesW]

I picked up a bottle of this yesterday, and have sat down to a couple of short sessions with it. By far, my favorite of the WR Master's Collection. Robert is right, this is seriously dark whiskey. The notes of dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, and sweet caramel mentioned by others, are there for me, too. A nicely extended and dry finish. I really like this bourbon. But, I'll issue a warning. The signature WR nose (which has seemed to be magnified in the Master's Collection Series, BTW) is prevalent. If you have a dislike for it, you might be disappointed with this.

(Some call it "copper/penny" I think it's more cantaloupe rind, myself. And, I don't mind it. Actually, I appreciate the "Signature Distinctness" it gives, much like the signature distinctness of an Islay scotch. But like Islays, it definitely ain't for everybody.)

All in all, I think they did very well with this. This is the only edition of the Collection that I would consider buying another bottle of. But, at $99 it's pretty steep. Maybe, I'll wait until I get back to The Motherland, to pick up another.

I just brought mine home and am very impressed indeed. The nose made me instantly think of PVW20 and the flavor was outstanding. Vanilla, caramel and a nice long rye finish. Emerald, I highly recommend, you are really missing out. I listened to you on the other MC's and stayed far away (thanks for the heads-up warning on those) but this one is not to be missed. btw - paid $67.