When it rains barrel-strength rye, it pours. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say that it sprinkles at least, given the fact that there have been two prominent back-to-back bottles released in this small category. The latest comes from Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve, and we were able to get an early taste.
The other high-ABV rye whiskey in question arrived last month courtesy of Heaven Hill, when the Kentucky distillery added a barrel-proof rye to its Elijah Craig lineup. That whiskey will come out in three batches per year, each with a different proof and age depending on the barrels selected for the run. That was a great new whiskey, but Woodford Reserve’s version, while different in may regards, is also quite good. This is the highest proof rye to date from Woodford, clocking in at 125.1–which is strong, but nothing that is going to blow out your palate.
According to master distiller Elizabeth McCall, the number of barrels pulled for this release was a bit more than you’d find in a typical batch (about 120 barrels), which was due to the much higher proof of the whiskey. One other distinction is that for other barrel-strength releases, Woodford has often used the term “batch proof.” About a year ago at the distillery, master distiller emeritus Chris Morris told me that he thinks that term more accurately reflects when the proof is the result of a batch of barrels that have not been diluted, although it can be confusing for customers. According to McCall, that is why the decision was made to call this release “barrel strength” instead of “batch proof” or “batch strength,” but this is purely a semantic issue.
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The mashbill for Barrel Strength Rye is the same used for Woodford’s regular rye, with 53 percent rye grain in the recipe putting it just above the legally required 51 percent (a style often used by Kentucky distilleries). And obviously it’s much stronger than the typical 90.4-proof Woodford, but that higher ABV gives the rye character a bit more oomph. We got to try a sample, and there are big notes of black pepper and baking spice on the palate, along with dried and ripe stone fruit, maple, vanilla, orange zest, and tannic oak. This is absolutely a rye built for sipping, but it would certainly make a pretty good (and strong) Manhattan as well.
Woodford Reserve Barrel Strength Rye is available now (SRP $130) in full-size bottles at the distillery and specialty retailers, although it looks like its price on the secondary market is already being jacked up quite a bit. You can find the rest of the Woodford collection, as always, at websites like ReserveBar now.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker