Review by: TOModera
Thanks again to Devoz, who is probably sick of all the thanks I’ve given him for the massive swap we did.
On cold, wintery days such as this, where we’re getting snow advisories and for some reason I still brave the buses to get in, I long for the weather down South. Or along the Mediterranean. Or really anywhere that isn’t -14 C but feels like -23 C and has enough ‘light’ snow to block out the sun.
Well, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, so the closest I’ll get to all of these things (and a little bit of Quebec) is Woodford Reserve Four Woods.
This bourbon starts out like Woodford Reserve, yet at a higher Abv. Thus it’s aged in new American Oak Barrels.
Then, following Dalmore’s “fuck it let’s do all the woods” method, they finish it in Port, Sherry, and Maple.
Just to clarify – That’s not Maple Barrels that you store maple syrup in. Rather it’s Maple Wood, which is used every so often when you don’t want to use it to plank fish.
Just to clarify again – Planking fish doesn’t mean laying on it like an idiot. It means cooking it on a plank of wood.
Just to clarify yet again – Wood doesn’t mean my penis. This time.
Anyway, I had requested and nearly purchased this whiskey a long time ago (last year), so let’s see if I was dumb for not buying it.
Distillery: Woodford Reserve Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Kentucky.
ABV: 47.2%.
Age: Bottled Fall 2012.
Cask type: New American Oak, then finished in Maple, Sherry, and Port Casks.
Price: N/A at the LCBO anymore.
Color: Reddy Brownish.
Nose: Brown sugar, sour strawberry, lemon, grape, floral, linen, earth, kiwi, currant
This isn’t like any bourbon I’ve had before. And that’s not saying much since I’m only up near 50, but still.
The Port and sherry cask influence is very noticeable. And I love sherry mixed with bourbon casks normally, so this is really nice. Some floral notes too.
It’s almost like a Sherry Finished Lowland Scotch, which is so weird.
Taste: Sprite, lemon candy, raspberry, caramel, lots of ginger, cocoa
Sweet and prickly right off the bat, just like a banned Sprite Commercial blow job.
After some time, it reminds you that it’s a bourbon again. There’s strong amounts of caramel. That being said, too much ginger flavour. Way too much. Like drinking proper Ginger Beer and not expecting it too much ginger.
Finish: Mushroom, raspberry, ginger, orange, mint leaves, cinnamon, mineral water, woody
Earthy. Not to be surprised, given the sherry cask used, and the fact that I find other Woodford Reserve to be quite earthy.
Good balance on the finish, though becomes a little too minerally and less fruity/spicy as time goes on.
Conclusion: So the answer to my question? Yeah, I’m kicking myself. Not hard, but this was really interesting. The nose is the best part, as it’s really floral/fruity and nice. The taste is good save for too much ginger, and the finish is pleasant until there’s too much mineral water in it.
That said, this is solid. Good job on it. I wonder what each of the different woods give to this. I’d actually be interested to taste a sherry cask, a port cask, and a maple wood cask finish of each, just to see what gives what flavours.
And to increase my knowledge of wood (CALLBACK!)
Final Score: 83.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 