(I was provided with press samples of Woodford Reserve Five Wood and King of Kentucky for review purposes. All opinions are my own.}

I set up a tasting flight of Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select, Woodford Reserve Five Wood (Summer 2020 Distillery Series) and King of Kentucky 2020 Release. I chose this lineup for a couple of reasons. First, I find that many of Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris’s bourbon releases have distinctive fruit flavors. A preliminary whiff and taste told me that the Five Wood and King of Kentucky releases both had very strong cherry notes that would make for an interesting and complex comparison. I also wanted to try this lineup together because of their very similar mash bills, to compare how differences in aging and finishing contributed to the flavor differences.

I thought we’d start off with a bourbon everyone knows, Woodford Reserve, as a baseline.

Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select

Mash bill: 72% corn; 18% rye; 10% malted barley
Proof: 90.4
Nose: vanilla, honey and butterscotch, opening up to a light oak, cocoa, honeysuckle, and pear.
Palate: cinnamon, caramel, citrus fruit, vanilla, and baking spices.
Finish: creamy and warm, with apple pie notes.

Next up is Woodford Reserve Five Wood, a limited release for Summer 2020.

Woodford Reserve Five Wood

Currently available for sale at Woodford Reserve Distillery for $49.99. I received this press sample earlier this summer; it was a June 2020 release. This is standard Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select distillate with a twist — after the traditional oak barrel aging, the bourbon is then finished in four additional woods: an Oloroso Sherry barrel, an Amontillado Sherry barrel, a Ruby Port barrel, and a Tawny Port barrel. This Summer 2020 release is part of the Distillery Series, which experiments with finishing to produce interesting new takes on traditional Woodford Reserve expressions. (It would be interesting to taste this alongside Angel’s Envy’s Tawny Port and Oloroso Sherry Cellar Collection releases, to compare the impact of the barrel finishes.) This is a very nice sipping bourbon. It’s fruity and complex, distinguishing itself from standard Woodford Reserve with rich berry and cherry notes. It would be a fantastic sipper for late summer and early fall!

Mash bill: 72% corn; 18% rye; 10% malted barley
Proof: 90.4
Nose: Cherry and wood. You’re instantly transported to a rick house — it’s oaky and sunny, with a whiff of wildflower honey. It opens up to familiar notes of Woodford Reserve like caramel and baking spices, along with a sherry note.
Palate: Cherry, dried cranberry, molasses, baking spice, toffee, blackberry, caramel, and tawny port.
Finish: sweet and elegant with lingering sherry notes.

The last taste in our flight is King of Kentucky 2020. Oh my, is this a special release, y’all. It’s interesting to taste the progression of a higher corn - lower rye mash bill as well as a far longer aging time (fourteen years to Woodford’s seven). The flight builds in proof, sweetness, and fruit notes, ending in King’s explosion of syrupy cherry goodness. It’s a great exploration of how very similar baselines can be developed in interesting ways.

King of Kentucky

So. let’s just go ahead and say it. This is probably my favorite Brown-Forman product I’ve ever tasted. (I’d definitely put it up there with OF Birthday 2012. It’s that good.) It’s over-the-top in every regard. It’s high proof with a huge aroma and big, jammy notes of fruit. It was aged 14 years, with barrels yielding at average 26%. Every detail reminds you why, in its third year of limited production, King of Kentucky has become a favorite among bourbon lovers. King of Kentucky is available this month at select retailers in Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. Only 1,900 bottles were produced; it retails at $249.

Mash bill: 79% corn; 11%rye; 10% malted barley
Proof: 130.6 (Proof varies depending on barrel, from 125 to 135)
Nose: Dark cherry, cinnamon, coco, caramel, and tobacco. Opens to a buttery fruit fragrance.
Palate: Cherry, golden syrup, dried fig, baking spice, and brown sugar.
Finish: Spicy rye with a lingering warm note of brown butter.

The King of Kentucky label pays homage to an early bourbon brand: King of Kentucky was established in 1881, acquired by Brown-Forman in 1936, and discontinued in 1968. This is the third year that Brown-Forman has released a King of Kentucky expression.

Cheers, y’all!