Woodford Reserve

USABourbonKentucky

Launched1996

DistilleryKentucky · Versailles

OwnerBrown-Forman

StyleBourbon

DistillationCopper pot still, 3x

CoreDistiller's Select · Double Oaked

A rare bourbon triple-distilled in copper pot stills — the official drink of the Kentucky Derby.

What separates Woodford Reserve from other bourbons is how it's distilled. Most bourbon is mass-produced in efficient column stills; Woodford runs it batch by batch through copper pot stills, and three times at that, like a Scotch single malt. It's a rare bourbon using a Scottish method in the heart of Kentucky. That approach builds a heavier, rounder texture — and that texture is the case for the premium.

The brand itself is relatively young, launched in 1996, but the place it's made is not. The former Labrot & Graham distillery in Versailles is one of Kentucky's oldest sites, making whiskey since the 19th century. Brown-Forman revived this small, historic distillery and, adding pot still distillation as its difference, positioned it as a daily premium bourbon. It helps to think of it as the more refined bourbon from the company that owns Jack Daniel's.

Symbolism is part of the brand's capital too. Woodford Reserve is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, the icon of American horse racing, and the base of that occasion's signature cocktail, the Mint Julep. Every spring the name rides along with the Derby broadcast, and the effect isn't small. It's a textbook case of where a drink is placed propping up recognition as much as how it tastes.

For a first bottle the Distiller's Select is a sensible start — the satisfaction is high when stepping up from a lighter bourbon to something weightier. If you like rich toffee-and-cocoa sweetness the Double Oaked suits especially well, and if you want spicy and dry the Rye lets you compare another grain from the same distillery. Whether you nose it neat or build it cold into a Mint Julep, it pulls its weight either way.

Flavourofficial / critical

Dried fruitVanillaToffeeCocoaOakSpice

Glossaryfor beginners

BourbonAn American whiskey made from at least 51% corn and aged in new oak casks.

Pot still distillationBatch distilling in copper pots, like Scotch malt — rare in bourbon, used by Woodford.

Double OakedMatured bourbon given a second spell in a deeply charred new cask to lift sweetness and oak.

Small batchA premium blended from a small number of casks, as opposed to mass production.

Range & Collections

Distiller's SelectThe core, blended from pot still spirit. The dried-fruit-and-vanilla balance is the benchmark.

Double OakedA second maturation in new casks; richer, rounder toffee and cocoa sweetness.

RyeA higher-rye variant — spicier and drier.

Malt · WheatMalt- and wheat-based variants for comparing grain character.

Master's CollectionThe master distiller's experimental limiteds; collector territory.

Value by AgeData-based2026.6 as of

Distiller's SelectCore · entry~£35

Double OakedRich sweetness~£55

RyeSpicy variant~£38

★ Master's CollectionExperimental limited · Limited · collector~£150+

Woodford Reserve's value is premium positioning and consistency rather than scarcity. Distiller's Select is a well-regarded daily premium for the price, while only experimental limiteds like the Master's Collection fill the high-end collector tier. Being the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby underpins the brand's recognition.

Prices are approximate retail / duty-free · limiteds are volatile — not a personal tasting score

How It’s Made

Woodford Reserve's decisive difference is distillation. Where most bourbon is mass-produced in column stills, Woodford runs the spirit three times through copper pot stills, like Scotch malt. Add maturation in deeply charred new oak and you get a rich, rounded sweetness of dried fruit, vanilla, toffee and cocoa. At a slightly higher 45.2%, it counts among the weightier, more polished bourbons in its price band.

Triple pot still distillationWhere most bourbon uses continuous column stills, Woodford runs it three times through copper pot stills like Scotch malt — rare in bourbon.

Five sources of flavourThe brand frames grain, water, fermentation, distillation and maturation as five managed sources of flavour.

Official bourbon of the DerbyThe official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby and the emblematic base of the Mint Julep.

An old, small distilleryMade at the historic Labrot & Graham site in Versailles — among the oldest and smallest in Kentucky.

History

The brand was launched by Brown-Forman in 1996, but the site is older — the former Labrot & Graham distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, has made whiskey since the 19th century. Reviving one of Kentucky's oldest and smallest distilleries, and adding pot still distillation as its point of difference, positioned it as a premium bourbon. It sits under Brown-Forman alongside Jack Daniel's and GlenDronach.

How It’s Drunk

Between its standing as the Kentucky Derby's official bourbon and the talking point of pot still distillation, Woodford Reserve has claimed the premium daily bourbon slot. It's widely used for gifting and cocktails in the US and is the signature base of the Mint Julep. In other markets it's the name to reach for when stepping up from entry bourbon — and if you like rich sweetness, the Double Oaked is especially welcome.

◆The Right GlassSignature

A weighty, sweet bourbon, it takes neat or on the rocks well. A Glencairn or copita suits for nosing, and at 45.2% the aroma won't easily close even over a single big cube. In cocktails it shines as the base of a Mint Julep or Old Fashioned. Richer lines like Double Oaked make a fine after-dinner pour — let the cocoa and toffee finish linger.

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