Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon

Rating: 15/23 This was tasted without prior knowledge of the spirit. Nose: It possesses a certain musty dustiness that hints at mellowness and age. It's earthy with a peppery spice. There's also a touch of green apple and a whiff of vanilla, perhaps even a faint hint of mint. Palate: It does indeed taste musty-dusty. It's smooth. It might be slightly lacking in rye character, but it's fairly mature with some pleasant herbs that are subtle yet complement the wood nicely. There's a vegetal layer that blends into buckwheat. I detect some clove, but not the vibrant herbs and spiciness I typically associate with rye. Jalapeños - I believe this is the source of the earthy, vegetal notes. There's also a milk chocolate flavor present. Have you ever attempted to flavor bourbon with milk chocolate and been surprised by the unusual taste it imparted? It's probably just me who's tried that, but this has that exact flavor. It's a variation on buckwheat with more vegetal funkiness. It's certainly more complex than buckwheat. This flavor has considerable depth, but I'm uncertain if I enjoy it. The complexity is good, but some of the flavors seem like elements distillers usually aim to exclude from their spirit. Nevertheless, I appreciate a funky whiskey occasionally. Finish: Musty-dusty wood with mellow, faintly sweet herbs including mint and dill. Quite a bit of that vegetal buckwheat milk chocolate oddity. The jalapeño mostly fades, but a hint of pepper remains. - Conclusion - The maturity (or perhaps mellowness achieved through skillful aging) and complexity are commendable, but the funkiness of this flavor profile doesn't resonate with me. I'm genuinely undecided about whether I like this or not. I'm so torn that I'm considering scores from 13 to 21. I suppose I need to select a rating. I find Rittenhouse (14) to have a bit too much alcohol, so I rank it slightly lower than this. Pikesville (16) is less complex, but it's more cohesive, so I prefer it. Old Forester Rye (15-16) is marginally better than this in terms of complexity, even though it deviates somewhat from a standard rye profile and is quite sweet. I strongly sense that this is an older rye than anything else I currently have open, and I greatly appreciate the complexity. However, the flavors are simply unusual. I believe this will be a 15. It's possible I could increase this score after finishing a bottle and becoming more accustomed to the nuances. This appears to be an acquired taste, one that I haven't yet had the opportunity to develop. Compared to everything else on my shelf, this most closely resembles Willett 4 with its chocolate flavor and musty undertones. The Willett 4 has significantly more tropical notes instead of the earthy funk, though. I could imagine this being an older Willett and that I might love it if I sampled more, but at this moment, it just strikes me as too peculiar. Thank you for sharing this fascinating whiskey! I always enjoy trying something so unique.

To change things up, a friend sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has an R2 on it. The nose starts with a malted chocolate candy followed by fruits of charcoal grilled brown sugar coated peaches and sautéed cherries that transitions to an earthy notes of espresso beans and clay before fading to freshly baked pumpernickel bread, dill, cloves, leather and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with fruits of charcoal grilled brown sugar coated peaches and sautéed cherries that transitions to a dark chocolate mocha and toasted marshmallow with light spice before a bitterness of burnt caraway seeds and clay minerality that slowly fades to reveal dill, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather and light oak with medium ethanol burn. Finish is medium length with Cocoa Puffs cereal, toasted marshmallow, espresso, vanilla seeds, cinnamon, leather and light oak. So I believe this is a rye and a bizarre sweet and funky rye that has this mix of chocolate, espresso, fruits, and earthy minerality that isn’t very balanced with a weird bitterness on the mid-palate that faded away before the finish to leave me with a delicious childhood breakfast of Cocoa Puffs that brought me back until the glass was finished. Whatever this was, it was interesting and fun to drink but I don’t think I would want more than a glass of this. So what is this funky rye…… Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon.

Nose - cherry, earthy mint, anise, clove, caramel, dry vanilla, coffee, apple skin, hay, rye spice, cola, cocoa, orange blossom, powdered sugar, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Palate - spearmint, anise, bitter herbal notes, lemon pith, baking chocolate, caramel, tannic oak, coffee, black tea, sour apple, clove, dry vanilla, black pepper, cough syrup, apple skin, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with mint, anise, and dark chocolate flavors. The eighth of nine blind tastings opens with minty, herbal aromas, accompanied by cherry cola and dry rye spices. The palate arrives strongly bitter and slightly sour. There’s very little sweetness. Instead bitter, unsweetened chocolate, apple skin tannins, and mint are the dominant qualities I’m tasting. The mouthfeel is slightly thin and the finish is notably drying. If I had to guess, I’d say this is mature, underproofed rye. The oak is strong and, in my experience, those deeply herbal, black tea notes usually accompany age. This isn’t my favorite whiskey profile. It’s austere and leans slightly too far into bitter, herbal, and sour territory. Overall, it’s better than average for me. So what am I drinking tonight? Woodford Reserve Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon. Well, I’m not surprised I picked up on all those chocolate notes. I just wish it were more well balanced. Many thanks to a friend for the generous sample!

Aroma: it appears I'm drinking mocha coffee! As I continue to appreciate its scent, caramel emerges, along with a subtler note of fresh cucumber and apples. Palate: the typical vanilla is absent, and in what I term the bourbon crystal ball: here we experience a rich mocha coffee and dark chocolate. Then wonderful cherries preserved in alcohol become very noticeable. Finish: a dominance of chocolate and cherries preserved in alcohol. A creation that thrilled me, in my estimation innovative (research its production method) and which undoubtedly ranks among my top five ever, leading among bourbons (this one on 2/14/2022). Score 5.00

Aroma: Rich dark chocolate, warming toasted rye, earthy rye kernels, sweet caramel, and a hint of brûléed cinnamon. Palate: Deeply roasted rye and grains, resembling chocolate-infused rye bread, chocolate-roasted barley, and mocha-flavored pastry. A touch of dryness, with notes of dark caramel and subtle cinnamon warmth. Aftertaste: An enduring warmth, with dominant flavors of chocolate and yeasty bread, evoking the mocha bread found at a popular bakery chain. Rating: 87/100 Overall Impression: I genuinely enjoyed this pour, as it brought to mind a previously available rye I can no longer find. This bears a striking resemblance to an older micro-barreled rye from a specific distillery. The chocolaty character is very similar to that rye, giving it a dessert-like quality. It's not an everyday sipper, as the chocolate can become a bit intense when consumed alone. It would likely pair wonderfully with a fruit-based dessert, a robust stout, or as a component in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan. Would I consume it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically request it? - No Would I purchase it again? - No

Green, fruity, peppercorn, and dry oak flavor. There's a toasty taste and a spicy sweetness from the high rye but I don't fully detect the chocolate. The combination of flavors I just listed will I guess equal dark "chocolate flavors." This is one of those high-to low-to high flavor profiles where the middle drops out to nothing. A splash of water really helped that gap of flavor and brought some leather and caramel to the middle. It's good and I appreciate the taste from a friend but have no need to have this again or to buy a bottle for $130+.