Kentucky is the home of many famous distilleries but the topic of this week’s blog is one of its smallest and oldest. Nestled amongst rolling hills, the Woodford Reserve Distillery was founded in the early 1800s by Elijah Pepper. It was here that whiskey making practices, including the implementation of sour mash into fermentation, used today were actually developed. Master Distiller James Christopher Crow was the man behind the development of these practices, and we owe him many of the perfected products we so love today.

The Woodford Reserve Distillery was also one of the first to utilize copper pot stills. You can see these and other iconic pieces of history (such as a 500-foot-long gravity-fed barrel run and 100-year-old cypress wood fermenters) on site today. In addition to these founding pieces of the practices of distilling, you can see one of the only heated cycled barrelhouses in the world. This is particularly incredible because heated cycled barrelhouses ensure that “every drop seeps into the charred and toasted white oak, giving Woodford Reserve its color and signature flavor. Woodford Reserve distillery is standing history, and riddled with the culture of Kentucky distilling.

Now, onto the star of this post, the Woodford Release 2016 Master’s Collection Brandy Finish. This is the latest release of Woodford Distillery’s Master’s Collection series. As always, let’s start with the aroma. It’s sweet, the first notes to hit you are that of chocolate, followed by dried cranberries and spice. We’re already think this would be an incredible bottle for the holidays!

Next is the initial taste. The first sip is filled with toffee, hazelnut, and a little maple syrup. Its warmth matches its amber color and is everything we could have hoped for and more. The finish is even better, with long lasting notes of warm caramel and nutmeg. It had us reaching for our glass again immediately!

This bottle is nothing short of incredible, and truly upholds the Woodford Reserve name. The last item on our docket is to make sure you reserve your own bottle from your favorite Payless so you can get a chance to try it, too! Trust us, you will not regret it.