Woodford Reserve

A miniature bottle of this at 45.2 % ABV was what got me into bourbon. I bought the larger 43.2 % ABV bottle based on my experience with the miniature. I have to say I enjoyed the miniature more than the larger bottle. But as an introduction to bourbon, it was ok, a stepping stone to better bourbons.

The mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley, and it is triple distilled.

Color: nice honey gold, oily slow running legs

Nose: alcohol, honey, vanilla, maple syrup, caramel, sweet stewed apples and some oak, clove, pepper. The nose weakens a bit as you get to the last third of the bottle. I get a plasticy note which is unpleasant.

Palate: medium bodied, there is some alcohol burn up front, some roughness on the palate, a bit of an alcohol burn at the back of the throat, not too smooth. Peppery, cinnamon, rye spice, caramel, dry nutty note. When you get to the last third of the bottle, it becomes sweeter due to oxidization .

Finish: short to medium, pepper and butterscotch, sweet and mildly bitter finish.

This is a mid shelf bourbon, an intro to bourbon. However once you have it, you'll want to move on to different bourbons. I will not be buying this again.

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