Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select "The Versailles Barrels'' K&L Exclusive Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (1L)

We've avoided the Woodford barrel program for many years because it wasn't a true single barrel program. Like almost all Woodford on the market, it's a blend of Brown-Forman's two Kentucky plants—the Louisville distillery (Brown-Forman Louisville / Early Times / Old Forester) and the Versailles plant (Woodford Reserve / Old Oscar Pepper / Labrot & Graham). But we sat down in the spring of 2024 to examine an opportunity to do things a bit differently—instead of blending two barrels from across the two distilleries, we asked to blend two barrels from each distillery to give a totally unique perspective on how the two distillates combine to create the famous Woodford Reserve brand. Neither of the two offerings will taste anything quite like the Woodford you know and love, but side by side they're two of the most interesting whiskies to taste in the store, and you can have a crack at blending your own at home with a bottle of each—I believe the classic recipe calls for one part Versailles for every five parts Louisville barrels. I'll leave a comparative review of each barrel here with the intention to encourage you to buy one of each, try them together, and see how fun it is to blend them at home to create something greater than the sum of its parts. The Louisville barrel is very close to something you might expect to have from the Old Forester Black Label—the nose is sweet and full of rich caramel with a pointed note of banana and sweet toasted vanilla. On the palate, rich and sweet without a bitter edge anywhere on it. The Versailles barrels have a much more intensely herbal nose with points of licorice, malt, plenty of vanilla, and almost none of the hallmark Old Fo' banana note. The freshness is surprising, as is the grainy quality, but it never feels youthful or overtly cereal-like as so many mediocre pot still bourbons do. The palate is slightly drier, with sugar candies on the palate that give you a very classical old-school bourbon, reminding me almost of some dusty bottles I've had. This was such a fun project and a beautiful window into the often ignored complexity of this perennial brand. Mix them up, drink them alone, make your own Woodford in your own home!