Woodford Reserve Double Oaked (and Pappy 20)

[Mike]

I succumbed to curiosity and great respect for the talents of Chris Morris, a Master Distiller who is not afraid to take some chances with his products and, as a result, produces some unique ones.

The nose is a nice bout twixt some rye and some oak, with neither able to throw the other. But together they pin the 90.4 proof to the mat. There is some warm leather (always a good sign of well controlled tannins), some vanilla, and some yeasty fruity touches, and a bit of citrus. I have not yet tasted it, but expect it to be excellent. The aromas are reminiscent of a great Wild Turkey or a Van Winkle bourbon, highly complex.

Ah, the sip, the sip........... beautifully and subtly controlled oak. Dry, but not bitter. I do not know how old this bourbon is, but it has the qualities I like so much in great older bourbons. Without any credentials to do so, except my own palate, I have said on many occasions that there is an extra component in oak aside from the vanillans and the tannins. This very subtle sweetness that comes from the 'just right' and usually long term exposure to the barrel is something that Julian Van Winkle, Chris Morris (think 2008 Birthday Bourbon), and maybe a few others, know best how to extract.

Of course, not everyone, maybe few in fact, would agree with me about this very subtle sweetness that makes a bourbon, 'barely bourbon' and puts it into class by itself. Many, maybe most, find it to be too dry and/or too tannic, but not me!

I am giving the Double Oaked a go agin the '08 Birthday Boy. The BB is only a per cent or so higher in alcohol, but it is much spicier, suggesting more rye, and its sweetness is in part derived from rye sweetness (something else some would contend is a taste that belongs to me alone). As compared to the '08 BB, the DO has that subtle oak sweetness.

Being of a curious nature, I decided that the Woodford Reserve deserved a go agin the justly famous (or infamous, if you prefer, because of its scarcity and cost) 20 YO Pappy Van Winkle.

They both are exactly 90.4 proof (a coincidence surely), and the taste is very similar. The Pappy has maybe a bit more spice, and a bit more alcohol heat, but the difference is only slight in my opinion.

If you are curious about the mythical Pappy 20 YO, and are willing to spend a mere $55 to taste something every bit as good, this is your chance.

I will be putting several bottles of this exceptional whiskey back for the deep snows of a Savannah winter........... And there are no deep snows in Savannah this winter? Well, then, other appropriate occasions for a sip will certainly arise!

P.S. I tried the WRDO against Wild Turkey Tradition, and again the similarities are striking. With the WT Tradition, and its high rye recipe, there is decidedly more spice. WRDO, PVW 20YO, and WT Tradition are all exceptional bourbons, for similar reasons.......... that subtle oak sweetness that comes from a longer exposure to the barrel, and, from which they achieve a certain delicacy which moves them somewhat in the direction of Cognac, the most delicate and subtle spirit on the face of the earth.

[Squire]

I agree Mike, Cognac is exactly what comes to mind when I drink one of these older Bourbons.

[RandyG]

Thanks Mike. Great post, and exactly what I needed to put the Double Oak high on my "must buy" list.

Cheers,
RG