Up until recently, if you wanted a bottle of Woodford Reserve’s coveted Double Double Oaked Bourbon you would’ve needed to be in Kentucky on release day and hope you scored. Fortunately, for the second year in a row, Woodford is releasing a limited number of bottles of this prized whiskey nationwide.
This special expression should not be confused with Woodford’s standard Double Oaked Bourbon, which is available year-round. To craft that expression, the brand takes its flagship bourbon, Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select, and matures it in heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrels for an additional year of aging.
Courtesy Woodford Reserve
On the other hand, to make Double Double Oak Bourbon, Woodford finishes its fully matured Double Oak Bourbon for an additional two years in new oak barrels that are also heavily toasted and lightly charred.
Unlike heavy charring, which draws bold flavors from deep within a barrel’s staves, the more delicate toasting method allows the distiller to coax softer nuanced flavors out of the wood. According to the brand, the additional two years of barrel maturation gives Double Double Oaked a slightly spicier profile than its Double Oaked counterpart.
“Resting five to seven years in the first barrel, then up to two years in a second barrel, this liquid features extraordinary flavor notes,” said Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall in a statement. “It is unexpected and complex.”
According to the brand, Woodford Reserve Double Double Oak Bourbon has a dark coffee-like color and offers on the nose rich aromas of maple syrup, butterscotch, and hickory smoke. The palate leads with bright, fruit-forward notes of blackberry jam, apples, and dried cherries before giving way to warming flavors of clove and chai tea spice. The robust barrel influence lingers long after each sip, making for a dry and spicy finish.
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Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked Bourbon Price & Availability
The first allotment of Double Double Oaked Bourbon was made available at the Woodford Reserve distillery on January 14 with a two-bottle-per-customer limit. The expression is now available at retailers and select domestic military exchange stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $200 for a 700 ml bottle. The whiskey is bottled at 45.2 percent ABV. For customers in Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C., you can order the bourbon directly from Woodford Reserve’s online store.
