Over last few years I've been fortunate in being able to enjoy a number of truly phenomenal bourbons that have retailed for between £20-30 and on occasion even less. I've also had the misfortune of experiencing a few dramming disapointments that have retailed for twice if not three times the price.
After tasting the wonderliciously complex and satisfyingly robust Woodford Reserve for the first time, I was amazed that a bourbon of such dramming distinction fell into that under £30 ball park price bracket. Well, I may have been amazed but I certainly wasn’t complaining.
The nose offers up a whole host of nose-gasmic delights, kicking off with a three way infusion of vivacious vanilla, courageous cedar and opulent oak. Followed by sweet, confident and content rumblings of rye.
A delightfully delicate appearance from a young demerara rum makes for the next nasal delight, followed by a punnets worth of black cherries that have been coated in thick glugging waves of warm toffee and honey.
Toasted almonds and the comforting aroma of warm ground ginger and cocoa join in on the action, before the nosing proceedings are brought to a close with juicy ripe bursts of peaches and dare I say it a slight hint of a ripe avocado.
The palate delivers an eclectic mix of delicious delights, starting of with thick, luscious buttered caramel that has been infused by an abundance of winter spices, along with a stack of thick American pancakes drenched with an oozing of white peppery infused maple syrup.
The sensation of a piece of charcoal that’s been used to juice a orange makes for the next set of palatable pleasures, followed by something very surprising for a bourbon in the form of something subtly coastal.
A warm vanilla rich Danish pastry topped with chopped toasted almonds, along with an accompneying swig of that aforementioned demerara rum then conclude the palatable offerings, before your then treated to one heck of a long lingering and luscious Kentucky summer sunset of a finish.
