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Woodford Reserve Distillery Series Double Double Oaked Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (45.2% ABV, $50 per 375 ml) – Woodford has taken their Double Oaked Whiskey (which is basically Woodford Reserve) and finished it in a heavily toasted new oak barrel. The Double Double (can’t say this without thinking about In ‘N Out Burger) Oaked takes their existing product and lets it mature for an additional year in the toasted oak finishing barrel. It sounds like a gimmick, but the results are anything but.

Dark amber in color, as you’d expect oak is the star player of the nose. The oak here is less assertive than expected, and there’s a sense that the whiskey has had an opportunity to really digest the oak. Here the oak reads more weathered and varnished than sharp and fresh cut. The nose also features some nice dark brown sugar notes as well as some fig. Underneath all this is a bit of a bite, with a touch of acidity and cinnamon spice – that core whiskey showing that it’s still very much alive in the mix with the oak.

As with the nose, the entry is much more understated than expected. The deep oak notes are there, but they’re reserved and mellowed. This old oak is backed by the deep brown sugar from the nose and a lovely mouthfeel, all combining to make an enticing entry.

The intensity of flavor ramps up as we move to the midpalate. All that wonderful weathered oak intermingles with some of Woodford’s classic flavor notes including cherry, orange, and cinnamon and joined by brown sugar and fig. The integration of flavors in the midpalate is exceptional and the balance between oak and the other flavors is right on point. Towards the end of the midpalate the cinnamon spice increases and we get a solid dash of heat. This drives a finish that is slightly dry and, again, less oaky than we’d expect.

Although the Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked isn’t a very old whiskey (like Diageo’s 21 year old Rhetoric Orphan Barrel release), it does an excellent job of showing how the relationship between a spirit and a barrel can mature and progress. This whiskey has had ample opportunity to really digest the oak aging, and while the oak is very much a part of the core character, the base spirit is still very present and integrated. 94 points.

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