Woodford Reserve Fall 2024 Master’s Collection: Madeira Cask Finish

“The blend began with Madeira-finished Bourbon, Rye, and Wheat, and then Straight Wheat was added to bring the desired fruit character into balance without being too sweet.” Regarding the age range, “The whiskies in the Woodford Reserve Distillers Select range share a common batching protocol. We batch to match a flavor standard on a consistent basis. This requires using barrels across a range of ages, from different production dates within those age ranges, and from different warehouses and locations within those warehouses. So, the batch will typically include barrels from 5 years up to 7 or 8 years.” Elizabeth went on to say, “All of the whiskies are crafted from spirits distilled in both pot stills and column stills in our Kentucky distilleries. All barrels are matured in Woodford Reserve warehouses in Woodford County. The whiskies in this release were finished in the Madeira casks for over 3 years.” Let’s get started!

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass and rested for about 15 minutes.

Proof: 90.4.

Age: NAS (5 to 7 years). Finished in Madeira Casks for over 3 years.

Mash bill: Not stated.

Price: $179.99 (70cl).

Appearance: Dark caramel.

Nose

Dark chocolate, rich caramel, toffee, lots of dark cherries, red berries, baked apples, orange peel, green tea, cloves, wheat bread, malt, floral, vanilla bean, nutmeg, allspice, toasted almonds. This is a fantastic and complex fruit-forward nose. With more time, the profile gets sweeter with butterscotch and more vanilla, nutmeg, and toasted oak. I love what the wheat whiskey brings to this profile with the subtle, yet distinct malt note I wasn’t expecting, which adds complexity and helps balance the sweetness.

Palate

Caramel, toffee, chocolate, dark cherries, berries, baked apples, malt, sage, green tea, nutmeg, vanilla, wheat bread, and oak. Moderate allspice covers the palate with a light mouthfeel. The palate loses most of the complexity from the nose, focusing on the fruit and caramel flavors. It’s still delicious but also disappointing. A higher proof point would solve these issues (and then some) by giving this profile a needed boost of intensity and improved mouthfeel.

Finish

As the allspice fades quickly, there’s caramel, cherries, apples, malt, sage, and pipe tobacco that ends with spice, subtle chocolate, and pipe tobacco for a medium-short finish.

Conclusion

The 2024 Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish is well put together to create a very delicious fruit-forward profile that works perfectly with the Madeira finishing. But we’ll never get to experience the full potential of this release because of Woodford Reserve’s ride or die 90.4 proof point. This whiskey wowed me on the nose with all its complexity, but a thin mouthfeel from the first sip told where this was going. From there, the key flavors transfer to the palate but don’t stick around long, resulting in a lackluster finish. There’s never been a whiskey I’ve wanted to try at a higher proof point more than this one. It’s a shame that all the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection releases aren’t batch-proof, or at least close to it, especially for the price, which brings me to my next issue.

The 2023 Master’s Collection Sonoma Triple Finish had a retail price of $150, which I thought was too expensive for a 90.4 proof, non-age-stated whiskey. This year, Brown-Forman increased the retail price of the 2024 Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish to $180! Not to mention, these releases have a smaller bottle size of 70cl (700ml). If the 2024 Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish was bottled at cask strength or at least around 110 proof, it would be incredible. Despite its shortcomings, it’s still very good, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the price.

Rating: 6.3/10.

The sample for this review was provided by Woodford Reserve at no cost and without any stipulations.
The opinions of this review are my own.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.