The Best And Worst Of Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve has been around for a long time, and if you've ever wondered whether the brand really does carry the gravitas that its elegant bottles and packaging seem to convey, consider this: The distillery itself is a National Historic Landmark. Anyone who's been there knows that walking through the grounds is to feel the weight of America's bourbon-making history settle over the complex, and the decades upon decades of experience is writ large in every bottle.

That said, not all of Woodford Reserve's core line offerings are created equal, and there are definitely some bottles that we'd recommend reaching right past. Still, when we here at Mashed decided to take a look at those core offerings and determine which deserve a place on your home bar and which you should skip, it was a bit of a challenge. (It always is. Taste, of course, is subjective.)

So, we took a sort of multifaceted approach here. While this writer's opinions — formed from considerable time behind the bar and conversing with customers — laid the groundwork, we also reached out to some industry experts to get more opinions. We also looked at factors such as accessibility, value, and versatility and came up with some interesting food for thought for those looking to add Woodford Reserve to their shelf.

As the name suggests, Woodford Reserve's Double Oaked is aged in both a charred oak barrel and then a barrel that's toasted then charred. Let's clarify: A toasted barrel is exposed to a lower heat over a longer period of time, while a charred barrel is scorched very quickly by a high heat. The process is what allows the wood to impart specific flavors, and it's a carefully curated one that ultimately gives the Double Oaked a rich amber color and a complex flavor profile.

This is the bottle that took Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and it's gotten consistent praise all around. One of the things we really love about this is it's accessible for someone who might be new to bourbon, as there is none of the smokiness that can be pretty polarizing. 

The Double Oaked was also one of the recommendations made by Teddy Pettit, bartender at Casa 71 Lounge at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, Arizona. He explained to us: "The dominant flavors of oak and sweet vanilla pair beautifully with notes of caramel and dried dark fruits. ... Woodford Double Oaked is by far the best value at an incredible price point, making it affordable for all bourbon lovers looking for a smooth character." At the time of this writing, it retails for around $60 a bottle (per the national average), making it a great option for those evenings when you want something that feels special but not bank-breaking.

Sure, there are definitely some expensive bourbons that you should try before you die. There are even some expensive bourbons that you might be able to find at Costco for a relatively reasonable price, but Woodford Reserve's Baccarat Edition probably isn't going to be at Costco, and as far as we're concerned, it's not even one that you should make it a life's goal to try. Why? This bottle sells for a nationwide average of $2,113 (at the time of this writing), and for starters, the bourbon inside is a little weird.

Tasting notes for this one include flavors such as licorice, bubble gum, popcorn, pepper, and bitter herbal notes, with Woodford officially adding marzipan, cedar, coffee, leather, and tobacco to that. It's called odd, and a lot of that comes from the three years it's aged in Cognac casks. But if you're still stuck on the price tag, you're not alone — we were, too.

A huge part of that price comes because of the decanter. Baccarat has been making some of the world's finest (i.e., expensive) crystalware since 1764, and sure, that bottle is handmade by an artisan over the course of five days. Baccarat has done special-edition bottles for other companies, but when Woodford Reserve's debuted, it was the only one to bear Baccarat's name. Is it worth it? Let's put it this way: When reporters from the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, made cocktails with the Baccarat bottle and Woodford's Double Oaked, they liked the latter better.

Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Straight Bourbon might be a bourbon that clocks in at an affordable average price of just around $38 a bottle, but it's really popular for a reason. The distillery advertises this as having more than 200 flavor notes that are almost perfectly balanced among the five different categories of flavors — grain, wood, fruit and floral, spice, and sweet aromatics. 

We're not the only ones who appreciate Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Luis Miguel Cardona is the head bartender at Rayo Cocktail Bar in Mexico City, and he told us this is one of his go-to bourbons for a reason similar to ours. "Woodford Reserve is a bourbon that meets you where you are," he told us. "The classic Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon offers smooth, sweet notes of vanilla, caramel, and fruit — making it easy to sip and easy to love."

It's no wonder that we here at Mashed included this on our list of the best bourbons to pair with steak, and there's a good reason we also ranked it as the best bourbon for beginners and the best bourbon to use in a Manhattan cocktail. We'd also say that if you're looking for an affordable bottle of something to give as a gift or take to a party, this is it. The bottom line here is that it checks all the boxes: It's great on the rocks, neat, or in a cocktail, it's widely available, it's affordable, and it has a flavor profile that's widely pleasing.

One of the questions we asked about each of Woodford Reserve's core lines was that if we were to take a bottle of each to a party, would everyone find it at least an acceptable drink? The Rye Whiskey landed on the worst side of things for a few reasons, starting with the fact that while there are undoubtedly people who love it, it has a flavor profile that's pretty polarizing. It's a pre-Prohibition rye, which is generally characterized by being very grain-forward, very spicy, and very smoky. 

In other words, it's not for everyone. Woodford Reserve's rye is very, very rye-forward and incredibly spicy. If you've ever smelled a piece of cedar wood, there's a lot of that taste in there, too. That said, it has won scores of awards, and it definitely has a place at some home bars, but not everyone's. 

There's something else to this one, too. Rayo head bartender Luis Miguel Cardona told us that while this particular whiskey can be used to create some outstanding cocktails, it's also a spirit that's best left to experienced bartenders and mixologists. It's very strong and very complex, and Cardona says it's the kind of spirit that works really well with equally strong ingredients like mole and tamarind — as long as you know what you're doing. In other words, it's not for the faint of heart.

Woodford Reserve advertises the Malt Whiskey as an example of the spirit that's designed to appeal to bourbon drinkers, and it offers the best of both worlds. While it is very grain-forward in a way that you'd expect from a malt whiskey, it's also very smooth, slightly sweet, and only slightly spicy. There's a lot of coconut and nuts going on here, too.

That makes this a great option for anyone who's looking to take a love of bourbon and transition it into other spirits. It's experimenting with a different flavor profile, but it's not one that's too far removed from a bourbon that you know and love, and it still delivers on the distinctive maltiness that defines a good malt whiskey. 

We're not the only ones who think that, either, and this is often lauded as a reliable, affordable, and approachable entry into malt whiskey, and it's also good enough that it can definitely stand on its own or be used in a variety of cocktails. Add in the fact that it retails for around $40 a bottle (at the time of this writing), and that makes it a super-reliable addition to any home bar. There is a caveat to this, though: We did find some people taking to social media sites to complain that it was a little too far into bourbon territory for them, and it was occasionally found marked up an astounding amount.

Concerns with this one start with the fact that there's nothing special about the bourbon in Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Derby issue. It's the same spirit that's in the standard Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey albeit in a different bottle and at a higher price point. To us, that says it's all about the distillery's connection to the Derby ... and all it stands for.

And here's where things get troublesome. Reminders about moderation are on more of the distillery's advertisements, but according to some of those who have experienced the chaos of the Derby's infield, that's not exactly what goes on here. Descriptions of the infield atmosphere include stories of alcohol-fueled antics culminating in an annual attempt at running across the top of a line of portable toilets ... and yes, people inevitably fall in. It's odd that in an age when companies are defined by their partnerships, this is one Woodford Reserve maintains. 

You might suggest Woodford Reserve is doing this out of respect for the tradition, but not all traditions deserve respect. In 2023, two horses collapsed and died while two others were euthanized after suffering fatal injuries, all at Churchill Downs and all during Derby Week. The number rose to seven by the time festivities were over. Six horses died at Churchill Downs in 2024, and in 2025, one was given a lethal injection on the track after breaking both front legs. Woodford Reserve's celebration of the so-called sport is definitely the worst.

Here's another one that we're well aware might be a little controversial, but hear us out. Serious whiskey drinkers might take issue with us putting Woodford Reserve's Wheat Whiskey in the "best" side of things, as it does have some naysayers who claim it's not as full-bodied as a wheat whiskey might want to be. But we thought: Chances are pretty good that most people come to Woodford Reserve for the bourbon and might stay for the whiskey. This wheat whiskey is very bourbon-inspired, with some of the most forward flavors coming from fruits — especially apple — and a light dusting of spices and vanilla. 

And that's why we like this one. This is an excellent introduction to a wheat whiskey because we don't think whiskey has to be overpowering to be good — especially if you're introducing someone to it for the first time. It also retails at a reasonable $40 a bottle (at the time of this writing), which brings us to our second point. 

This wheat whiskey makes an excellent cocktail, and it's affordable enough that you're not going to feel like you need to be savoring it on its own. Because it has such a delicate and fruit-forward flavor, it's incredibly versatile, too. It makes an outstanding hot toddy as it pairs wonderfully with all of those classic fall flavors, and it also works really well in fruity cocktails like the Brown Derby. And every home bar needs a reliable bottle for cocktails.

We fully admit that we're probably going to have some controversial opinions here, and yes, we're not going to just say Woodford Reserve's Master's Collection is the best of the best because it's a "Master's Collection." But hear us out, because while the idea is perfectly fine, we wouldn't go as far as to say that you need to feel compelled to collect the whole set. 

For starters, it's a really, really varied list of products, and just because it's something that has a Master's label on it, that doesn't mean you're automatically going to like it. And that's all right. Some of the bottles that have been released over the years are arguably an acquired taste. The 2019 15th limited release, for example, was a chocolate malted rye, which is not for everyone. 

While there are certainly limited-edition products out there that are fine, we're also big fans of finding a favorite and being able to find it on shelves for a reliable price. That's not always the case here. The Four Wood release, for example, retailed at a respectable $99 at the time of the 2012 release. There are still some floating around, for an average of $2,166 per bottle. With no guarantee you're going to like what's in the bottle, we found we couldn't just give a blanket statement saying that these are all outstanding, and you should get them — or feel bad that you can't.

Our thoughts on Woodford Reserve's Distillery Series are very similar to our thoughts on the Master's Collection. Simply put, it's just too varied a collection for us to tell you that you should definitely head out and try to get a bottle of the newest release because it's the best bourbon ever. Similarly, we can't tell you they're all worthless, either. Taste is incredibly subjective. Let's take an example. 

In 2021, Woodford Reserve released a Chocolate Malt Whisper, and then, in 2025, there was the Chocolate Whisper Redux. Not only does chocolate malted rye give a flavor profile that's a love-or-hate kind of thing, the Redux version was 139.4 proof — which makes it a double whammy of being not for everyone. On the other hand, the same person who might hate those might love 2021's Double Double Oaked, as it's sort of an "extra" version of one of our favorites.

Pricing is also kind of all over the place, which is expected for a limited-edition series like this. At the time of this writing, for example, the Five Wood has a national average price of $676 per bottle, while the Double Double Oaked is at $232.  That Chocolate Malt Redux we mentioned is at $600, and the Chocolate Malt Whisper is at $1,128. With all that in mind, there's no one-size-fits-all for these.

In order to come up with the best and worst of Woodford Reserve, we decided to look at it in terms of the best being bottles that you would keep in your home bar, give as a gift, or take to a dinner party. These are the bottles that are affordable and widely accessible and contain a spirit that is widely liked, is widely well-reviewed, and can appeal to a wide range of tastes in a variety of different ways.

On the other hand, the worst ones on our list are those that are problematic for one reason or another. They might be polarizing, difficult to work with without a degree in bar science, or just way overpriced for the spirit you're actually getting.

In order to split different Woodford Reserve offerings into those two categories, we started with this writer's own experiences with the brand, and the experiences of the customers on the other side of her bar. From there, we reached out to several industry experts to get their picks. We also took into account reviews from online sellers and read countless discussions on social media and Reddit. Finally, we looked at cost, availability, and value.