Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 146

Outstanding bourbon! Flavors of caramel, orange zest followed by chocolate and toffee are apparent. Clearly a traditional Woodford, reflecting their mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. The bottle features beautiful artwork by a former pitcher and sports artist. Given the recent postponement of the Kentucky Derby due to COVID-19, this bottle is sure to become a collector's item.

Nose is incredibly sweet, full of rich dessert fruit. Truly excellent. Palate echoes that same dessert profile: brownie, caramel, and chocolate-dipped cherries. Finish maintains its sweetness but has a pop rocks-like sensation and taste.

Smells like caramel brownies on the nose, very dessert-like. The taste is delightful - butterscotch, toffee, crisp, and it tingles slightly on the roof of your mouth. A fantastic bottle, I thoroughly enjoyed trying it.

An improved iteration. The caramel and vanilla notes are somewhat stronger, the rye spice is a bit more noticeable, and the finish is silkier. Absolutely justified by the slight price increase.

I'm still not a huge fan of this brand, but this is clearly aged and more sophisticated. There's still a slight trace of tannic bitter oak, but it has a pleasant vanilla note and a very satisfying finish considering the proof.

On the whole, it's quite similar to the standard Woodford, but with less sourdough character and an overall fruitier, more red wine-like twist in every aspect.