Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve
69.7%
12 Years
This Kentucky straight bourbon is bottled at 69.7% ABV, making it the highest-proof whiskey ever released by Woodford Reserve. Released in February 2025, this bourbon has a suggested retail price of $99.99 per 375-milliliter bottle.
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Gentle, effervescent nose with heat that doesn't bowl you over but is certainly present. Lush notes of peaches and cream, tangerine, browned butter, meringue and soft oak abound. A couple drops of water bring out baking spice notes — cinnamon and gingerbread — plus a sweet cake frosting note.
Plenty of heat on the palate and tons going on. Oak and tannin meet toffee, dark chocolate, cherry syrup, melon, peach, singed orange peel, raisin bread, plum, leather, tobacco, gingerbread and a distinctive smoky character — like smoked applewood.
A long finish with some heat. A big cherry note meets oak, pretzel, cinnamon, leather, ash, plum, tobacco, pepper, cocoa nibs, espresso beans, walnuts, cedar and a kiss of mesquite.
A bruising, powerful, deep, complex and wildly impressive bourbon from Woodford. There's no shortage of flavor here, and it has oh so many layers. On first taste, the heat was a tad overbearing (water helped), but over the next couple of days, with some air, it really mellowed out and opened up in a striking, gorgeous way. Woodford Reserve Chocolate Whisper Redux is dark and brooding with plenty of dark chocolate and coffee notes, which mingle beautifully with dark fruits and a really intriguing smoky profile.
94
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
