Woodford Reserve releases single malt whiskeys

Woodford Reserve is releasing its Double Malt Selection in November – the first fully matured whiskies created from malt in Kentucky since Prohibition.

Woodford Reserve Double Malt Selections are the eighth release in the distillery’s Master’s Collection

The Woodford Reserve Double Malt Selections forms part of the Brown-Forman-owned distillery’s limited edition Master’s Collection, new expressions of which are released periodically.

The eighth release from the collection features a Straight Malt Whiskey matured in new American oak barrels, and Classic Malt, which is matured in refill American oak barrels.

Both are bottled at 45.2%abv to highlight the unique characteristics imparted by used or new wood, a quality chosen by Woodford Reserve in homage to James Christopher Crow and Oscar Pepper, master distiller and distillery owner in the mid-1800s, who studied the differences between used and new cask maturation.

Continuing in the Master’s Collection style, the two whiskeys are presented as a pair in 750ml bottles shaped like the copper pot stills of the distillery.

The Straight Malt Whiskey is described as having a “creamy balance of new cask sweetness and spice with a rich pear and banana fruitiness”, while the Classic Malt has notes of “chocolate malt, honey, buttery shortbread and a touch of lemon custard”.

With an RRP of US$99.99, the Woodford Reserve Double Malt Selections will be rolled out from November across the US, with limited distribution also in the UK, Canada, Belgium, France, Sweden, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and travel retail.

Their release in the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection follows those of Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, Sweet Mash, Seasoned Oak, Maple Wood Finish, Rare Rye and Four Wood, all of which have been released “at the master distiller’s discretion”.