Woodford Reserve Straight Malt Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Woodford Reserve Malt Whiskey
(Credit: Brown-Forman)

After previous dabblings with American Malts in their Master’s Collection and Distillery Series, Woodford Reserve has now come out with an American Malt as a regular brand extension. No one-time, limited edition offering here, but instead an item that will be as available as Woodford’s Bourbon, their Double Oaked and their Rye.

I have long thought Woodford had the equipment to make a name for themselves in American Malts, in the form of their beautiful triple set of copper pot stills. This Irish-style set up screams for triple distilled malt whiskeys, perhaps even a whiskey inspired by the Irish Pot Still style of mixing malted and unmalted barley.

Woodford Reserve chose not to go that route, however, and steered away from the 100% barley, European style. It’s absolutely an American Malt, because it has the 51% malted barley required under Federal law, plus 47% corn and 2% rye. It’s just not an American Single Malt, to use the definition profferred by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission. Instead, it follows in the vein of Kentucky rye whiskeys, in being heavy on the corn and just barely enough of the namesake grain to qualify.

Woodford Reserve Malt Whiskey is bottled at 90.4 proof, and can be told apart from its siblings by the blue labeling.

The Whiskey
A pour of this whiskey sits on the line between dulled gold and light amber. A swish of the glass leaves behind a curtain of skinny tears.

The scent is like a candy caramel-coated nut and apple bar, sweetened with a little brown sugar and a tinge of cocoa. The fruity side came forward in the flavor, with apples and cherries riding over the notes of caramel and nuts. After opening with this sweet profile, a dry peppermint note rises up, serving as a nice compliment. The finish starts out light and fruity, but this evaporates quickly, leaving a dot of spicy mint behind.

The Price
Woodford Reserve Malt is priced at $34.99.