Showing posts with label American Single Malt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Single Malt. Show all posts

Woodford Reserve Classic Malt



”Malt and Barley Blues”


Whisky Review # 914

Country: USA
Region: Kentucky
Brand: Woodford Reserve Classic Malt - Master's Collection (2013)
Distilled at: Woodford Reserve/Brown-Forman Distillery, Versailles, Kentucky
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (said to be 6-9 Years)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 45.2%
Maturation: Refill Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: No
Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Price Range: US$ 110-140 (May 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Way too expensive for what it offers.
Buying Advice: 👎 I love experiments but this one did not work out very well 

Colour: Chardonnay (Natural Color)

Nose:

Young and Buttery. The Varnish note reminds me of West-European Single Malts. The Nose is a mix of Sweet and Sour notes and it's quite different when compared to your standard Scottish entry Single Malt. The Nose is okay I guess but no more than that. This is only made with Malted Barley but nevertheless there is a Cereal feel to it.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Cereals, Vanilla, Buttered Cake, Varnish, Saw Dust, Grass & Straw, Dough, Yeast, slightly Sour Red Berries, Orange and Lemon Peel, Cinnamon and Mint.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Honey, Glue, Charred Oak, Nectarine, Pear, Cheap Marzipan, Dusty Track, Green Coffee Beans, Green Vegetables, Artificially Flavored Pear & Banana Candies, Pepper and Cardboard Boxes.
 

Palate:

Young, Thin & Edgy. Cereal-driven. A rough mix of Sugary Sweet, Sour and slightly Bitter notes. Unexpectedly Dry. Don't wake me up for this one!

Main Flavours:

Sweet Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Buttered Cake, Vanilla, slightly Sour Red Berries, Grass and Straw, Saw Dust, Dusty Track, Lemon Peel, Cinnamon, Pepper & Mint.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toffee, Woodglue, Ovomaltine, Milk-Hazelnut Chocolate, Artificially Flavored Candies (Apple, Pear, Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry), Charred Oak, Nutmeg, Rum and Cardboard.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long and slightly Hot. Sugary Sweet at first but with developing Sour and a few Bitter notes towards the Dry end. The Alcohol is rather noticeable at this point. I find Sweet Cereals, Buttered Cake, Banana Ice Cream, Vanilla, Toffee, Dough, slightly Sour Red Berries, Lemon Peel, Artificially Flavored Candies, Varnish, Grass, Grapefruit, Dusty Earth, Cardboard, Cinnamon, Pepper, Licorice & Menthol.

Drinking Advice:

With added Water it becomes something that reminds me of Soy Milk. It's not good enough as a sipping Whisky so this is probably best enjoyed on the rocks.

Rating: 74

Nose: 19 - Taste: 18.5 - Finish: 18  - Overall: 18.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Just Okay.

Conclusion:

Elijah Pepper started distilling whiskey on the picturesque  banks of Glenn’s Creek in the year 1812. Nowadays, the facility is the oldest operational Distillery in Kentucky. All the Whisk(e)y produced here is triple distilled in copper pot stills imported from Scotland.

Dear Woodford, I'm a fan of your Bourbon but this attempt at making a Single Malt did not work out for me. Is it the Malt? Is it the Water? Is it the Yeast? The Casks? A combination of all this? Probably. In any case the end result does not stand its ground when compared to Scottish entry Single Malts. It reminds me slightly of some French, German, Irish and Austrian Single Malts that I've tasted in the past. But these were all matured in new Wood while this Woodford matured in Refill Bourbon casks. I'm a bit puzzled where this went wrong but I urge Woodford to have a look at the whole process again and see where improvements can be made. I would certainly add a few years to the maturation process and find me some first class casks. The way it's presented today I can't recommend this US Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                           May 12, 2021