Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch bourbon whiskey made in the Labrot & Graham's Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, near Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky. The name was changed to The Woodford Reserve Distillery in 2003. The distillery is located in the heart of the horse farming country and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Woodford Reserve is the "Official Bourbon" of two of horse racing's most important events: The Kentucky Derby and the Breeder's Cup. It is a 90.4 proof bourbon.

The distillery itself has been in operation since 1812, making it one of the oldest of nine working bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. In 1995, the distillery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

They are currently offering from their distillery a bespoke blend where for prices starting at $8,500 a barrel for delivery in KY increasing up to $40,000 when you can have you own version blended for you (which is selected when you visit the distillery).

Museum, Gift Shop, Cafe and theater
This display shows how the bourbon changes with time. The whiskey on the right is new. The vial on the left is mature.We went on an hour long tour of the distillery.The distilleryI think we all got a quick 101 Guide for Dummies on how to make bourbon whiskey. I found it interesting to learn about a subject I know nothing about.

Here we learned about the 5 sources of flavor that go into making bourbon whiskey:
1. Grain recipe or mash build- Woodford Reserve uses a mix of corn 72% (brings sweetness) , rye 18% (adds spice), malted barely 10%
2. Water source (Limestone water- iron free and full of rich minerals)
3. Fermentation process (5-7 days)
4. Distillation (copper pot stills)
5. Maturation process (110 proof, 7 years)Cooking and FermentingFermentor #1Mash Cooker
They use a sour dough yeast starter
Distillation: Made in Rother, Scotland, the three copper pot stills hold the product during the distillation process. Distillation is when the alcohol is separated from water.Barrelling the new 'spirits'. Woodford Reserve is handcrafted and only 15 barrells can be produced a day. That is a very small quanity.
Barrells play a critical role in the maturation of bourbon. A new charred white oak barrell is used. The barrell has been toasted for 22 minutes, which causes the sugars in the wood to carmalize. This gives the bourbon a sweet vanilla taste and caramel aroma. The barrel is also charred for 22 seconds. It is the char that contributes to the rich amber color of the finished product.
Maturation warehouse: Hot summers and cold winters causes the bourbon to swell and then contract forcing the drink into the wood. The passage in and out of the layers is called a cycle. The barrells are allowed to mature for SEVEN years.
Bottling and packaging
At the end of the tour they passed out samples to those over 21. My dad and brother Jeff each took one so we could smell them and then when no one was looking they tossed the contents into the bushes. I could only imagine what the tour guide would think if he had seen them dumping out their EXPENSIVE product onto the lawn. We did get to keep the little plastic glasses. They boys were very happy about that. And Matt spied a cool lucky horse shoe souviner in the gift shop. Lucky for him, he still had a few extra birthday dollars saved up so he could purchase it.I had wanted to go on this tour for YEARS and was thrilled to find an opportunity to visit, especially since it was with family.