Woodford Reserve Master's Collection 2019 - Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection 2019 - Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon, NAS, 45.2 %

Every year Woodford Reserve releases a special, limited edition bourbon. The 2019 edition, which I have now tried, had a mash bill of 70 % corn, 15 % chocolate malted rye and 15% distillers malt.

From the press Release (source) I found that:

Chris Morris, Woodford Reserve master distiller, said: “The rye malt was roasted to a level that its natural sugars caramelised into a dark chocolate note. This special Bourbon even surprised me as it matured in our warehouses. Each time I tasted it, the chocolate notes became even more pronounced.”

Just looking at the bottle label one might be fooled into thinking this is a rye, but it is in fact a bourbon (refer mashbill above).

The Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection 2019 - Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon was included in the special whisky release in Norway on May 27, 2020. A few bottles are still available to buy though, at NOK 1609 (11804801).

Nose: A rich brew of coffee, cocoa nibs and dark chocolate. Vanilla and white pepper. It is very aromatic and rich on the nose. Quite different from any bourbon, or indeed any whisky, I have ever had before. But in a very pleasant way. Dry-ish in style.

Taste: The palate is also very rich and aromatic. Slow brewed cold coffee with heaps of vanilla, cocoa, green herbs, red berries and toasted oak. Medium sweetness - in other words less sweet than many other bourbons.

Finish: Medium long finish. Cool, rich and creamy vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cold bits of coal and flakes of earthy cinnamon sticks. Coffee and cocoa nibs. 

Comment: If you love coffee, chocolate and/or bourbon, you will love this or at the very least find it very entertaining and memorable.

Score 90/100

Sláinte!
- Thomas