* The age range is 5 to 7 years.
* Roughly 120 barrels are used to create a batch depending on the barrel yield.
* Both pot still and column still barrels are used to achieve a balanced and complex flavor profile.
* The ratio of pot still to column still barrels used in a batch varies to meet Woodford’s standard.
* The barrel entry proof is 110.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass and rested for about 15 minutes.
Proof: 121.2.
Age: NAS (5 to 7 years).
Mash bill: 72% Corn/18% Rye/10% Malted Barley.
Price: $149.99, 700ml.
Appearance: Dark caramel.
Nose
The nose leads with delicious caramelized brown sugar, toffee, butterscotch, dark chocolate, vanilla extract, and pecans mixed with dark Luxardo cherries, strawberries, and red berry reduction sauce. More nosing brings out herbaceous flavors of sage with some orange zest brightness and a moderate amount of allspice. On some pours, the cherry and berries were more upfront. As the session continues, the rich oak becomes sweeter, bringing out more butterscotch and brown sugar, with much more cherries and red berries. I love the flavor profile and balance in this batch, which shows very little proof heat.
Palate
The nose carries to the palate, leading with crème brulé, caramelized brown sugar, dark chocolate, and oak. Mid-sip comes Luxardo cherries, stone fruit, and vanilla bean with green tea, while cinnamon spice covers the whole palate with a creamy, viscous mouthfeel. The flavors are delicious and well-balanced, drinking under its proof.
Finish
Cinnamon spice lingers on the palate with rich oak and toffee. Cherries and red berries come back around with sage and chocolate. As time passes, the spice fades, and I’m left with toffee, berries, and pipe tobacco for a very long and enjoyable finish.
Before I launch into my conclusion, I’d like to talk about my annoyance with the retail price of this release being raised from $130 to $150. I want to say I was surprised (which I was), but on the other hand, I’m not considering what I’m seeing in today’s market. But it’s hard for me to imagine that Brown-Forman doesn’t know that the biggest criticism about Woodford Reserve Batch Proof is the price. It’s only fair to acknowledge that until this year, the price of Woodford Batch Proof hasn’t changed since its first release in 2018. However, in last year’s release, Woodford decreased the value when they changed the bottle size from 750ml to 700ml. This is a time/cost-cutting measure for other Brown-Forman releases, too, so they don’t have to do a separate bottling for the European market, in which the standard size is 700ml for distilled spirits. But increasing the price the year after they’ve boosted profits by decreasing the bottle size is like adding insult to injury. It seems that these recent decisions have fallen on deaf ears at Brown-Forman, which is disappointing, to say the least.
Conclusion
Despite my disgruntlement with the new retail price of this release, the liquid inside is excellent, particularly the oak, cherry, and berry flavors. In a press release, McCall says, “Barrels drawn from the upper floors of our heat-cycled warehouses tend to possess higher proof presentations, including this limited-edition batch.” This accounts for this profile tasting at least a few years older than its given age range.
To see which batch I preferred, I compared the 2024 and the 2023 Batch Proof in a semi-blind on two different days. This was a tough comparison because they’re both excellent and similar in many ways. To sum it up, 2023 starts out like a butterscotch bomb with chocolate and lots of cherries on the nose and palate, with a long finish focusing on the oak. The 2024 batch starts out with a thicker mouthfeel, darker oak, with butterscotch developing later, and lots of cherries and berries. There is a bit more complexity and less spice throughout, and finishes with a great balance of oak, with chocolate, cherries, berries, and sage coming back around. I couldn’t decide which batch I preferred and declared it a draw.
Last year, it seems the 2023 Woodford Batch Proof release was more available on shelves than in past years, and I found it unexpectedly in a store in Connecticut. A few months ago, I found this release selling for its retail price while I was in Vermont, and now my local store in New York has it in stock. The downside is, as I’ve mentioned, the price has increased. I usually don’t spend this much time expressing my opinions on value and don’t score based on it because I believe value is a personal decision. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if Woodford Reserve Batch Proof is worth purchasing. As for me, I’m conflicted. I don’t agree with the price increase, but I also don’t have any regrets about buying this bottle. It’s one of my favorite releases this year.
Rating: 9.0/10.
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.
