Yes, the bottle is mostly empty when I took the picture, so you know I enjoyed it. However, that is surprise, considering how I first met this bourbon. This was years ago, probably around 2012, I was on a Vegas trip with my brother. The usual activities, drinking, eating and gambling. We were wandering around MGM Grand and decided to stop at a bar for a whiskey. The bar we sat down at was across the "world famous" ice bar, at the end of the casino floor. I completely missed a red flag, which was the totally uninspiring whiskey menu. Having not found anything that called out to me, I wanted to order something not named Jack or Jim that was cost effective and settled on Woodford Reserve. The whiskey I had that night was rough to say the least. It had no distinct flavor and burned. I swore that was the last time. Fast forward to 2015, I am standing in a wine store in Vancouver the day we were to board the Disney Wonder for a cruise, and I have no whiskey. In the shop, there was a very thin selection of whiskey, most of them priced at nearly three times what we'd pay in the USA!!! With one exception...Woodford Reserve. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I walked out of the wine shop with a bottle of Woodford Reserve, much to my chagrin.
Once we settled in our room, I opened the bottle for the celebratory drink to the start of our first family cruise. I held my breath and took a drink and was surprised. This was nothing like what I had at Vegas. The whiskey is fairly fragrant to start, smooth to finish with a little biting and warm finish. An all around solid bourbon. I have no doubts in my mind that what I got at Vegas that day was not Woodford Reserve, because this was much, much better. Lesson? If you have to finish a story with...
Then it was probably illegal or morally reprehensible. So yeah...keep it in Vegas where it belongs. I'll be bringing my own whiskey selection to Vegas from now on.
The numbers: The bottle you see above was purchased at Ralphs with the buy 6 bottles and get 30% off deal, and ended up being only about $24 dollars! That is a good deal. I probably wouldn't pay more than $35 though, because at that price range there is probably a more interesting whiskey out there.
It reminds me of...hanging out with that friend who is always broke but knows all the good deals around town and still manages enjoys the finer things in life on a budget.
The verdict: This is really a daily sipping kind of whiskey, certainly not an occasion type pour. At the price, it can be a mainstay if you aren't too picky. It will likely enter the daily whiskey rotation in my bar.
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Professional tasting notes:
thewhiskeyjug.com
whiskymag.com
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