Woodford Reserve Just Dropped Its First Bourbon Aged in This Unusual American Oak Barrel

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Woodford Reserve has had a few firsts this fall. The Kentucky distillery just released its debut American single malt, which was an interesting endeavor even if it failed to live up to what the craft world is doing in that category. And earlier this week Woodford announced the release of its first bourbon entirely aged in chinkapin oak, a species that is native to the Midwest and is supposed to impart some unique flavors to a whiskey.

Chinkapin, sometimes spelled as chinquapin and known scientifically as Quercus muehlenbergii, is a type of oak that has been used by other distilleries and brands to age whiskey before. Some examples of note include Buffalo Trace’s Old Charter Oak bourbon, Irish distillery Teeling’s Wonders of Wood expression that was aged in virgin chinkapin oak, a limited-edition single-cask release from scotch distillery Glenmorangie, and Michter’s Bomberger’s Declaration (part of its Legacy Series).

“Chinkapin oak is sometimes referred to as a scrub oak, essentially a weed,” Teeling master distiller Alex Chasko told the website Dublin and Cork Duty Free. “It’s shorter and narrower than white oak, and is typically found in regions like the Appalachian Mountains where the soil is dry and rockier.” He went on to say that while it’s commonly used to mature rye whiskey, it can be used for other styles as well. “It doesn’t quite have as strong a vanilla and honey influence as white oak, or the spice and astringency of European oak. It’s flavor profile often features earthy notes, coffee, umami and subtle spice.”

Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall told Robb Report that she finds that chinkapin adds “sweet notes and aromatics” to a bourbon’s flavor profile. We got an early taste and confirm this—there are deep notes of dark chocolate, cherry syrup, dusty oak, cinnamon spice, and a touch of faded incense on the palate, with a bit of heat from being bottled at a relatively high 110.4 proof. This is the 21st release in Woodford Reserve‘s Master’s Collection, a limited-edition series that often involve cask finishes or maturation methods that veer from the usual (and legally required) new charred oak that is used for Woodford’s bourbon. Past releases have included a blend of bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskey finished in Madeira barrels; bourbons finished in Pinot Noir and American brandy barrels (which Woodford said were the first of their kind at the time); and a rye whiskey made with a mashbill that included chocolate malted rye.

You can find the new 2025 Master’s Collection Sweet Oak Bourbon available to purchase now (SRP $180) in limited quantities at Kentucky retailers and at the Woodford Reserve distillery (shipping is available to some states). And check out websites like ReserveBar to find other expressions, including previous entries in the Master’s Collection and Distillery Series.