Woodford Reserve has announced the return of their most popular Distillery Series expression, Double Double Oaked Bourbon.
The distillery begins the expression with their standard bourbon, which they finish in a second, deeply toasted and lightly charred oak barrel to create their Double Oaked. Double Double Oaked, though, is aged a year longer in the second barrel than the standard version, adding an extra layer of spice on top of the sweetness. It’s bottled at the distillery’s standard 90.4 proof, and was first launched in 2015 as a one-time-only release. But Woodford underestimated the public’s response, and by popular demand, it’s now sold each winter.
“People love this product for its unique style and rich flavor profile — and they start calling and emailing in December, anticipating its arrival in January,” Master Distiller Chris Morris said in a press release this morning.
Tasting notes provided by the distillery include a nose of “maple, butterscotch, brittle caramel, bittersweet chocolate, burnt marshmallow and sweet hickory smoke,” with “rich dried cherry, cranberry fruit, blackberry jam, and hints of ripe apple.” On the finish, we’re told to expect “chai tea and warming clove notes [that] develop to spice up the palate,” and the color of this special bourbon is noted as “roasted coffee bean”
The Distillery Series is Woodford’s line of unique, souvenir-sized 375ml bottlings that guests can rarely find outside the gift shop. It has previously included Barrel Finish Rye, French Oak Cask Finished Rye, Frosty Four Wood, and Bottled-in-Bond. Rarely are these whiskeys spotted more than once – the annual release of Double Double Oaked is the exception rather than the rule.
The 2020 release of Woodford Double Double Oaked will be available beginning this weekend at their distillery in Versailles, Kentucky for around $50. There’s a limited supply, so hurry – and click here to plan your trip!
