Whiskey Wednesday – Woodford Reserve 2022 Batch Proof

To stay on the radar of the whiskey landscape, unique, one of a kind releases are becoming much more common in the modern whiskey era. This holds true for even established brands such as Woodford Reserve. Yesterday, it launched its annual Batch Proof, a bold Kentucky Straight Bourbon that comes in at 118.4 proof.

Through its 25+ years, Woodford Reserve is known for this Kentucky Straight Bourbon to be flavorful and at a constant 90.4 proof. But each year when it releases Batch Proof, an expression that is part of the distillery’s Master’s Collection series, this one takes its flavor profile to a new level.

Master Distiller Chris Morris and Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall release Batch Proof to show their commitment to craftsmanship. It’s described as a celebration of Woodford Reserve’s proprietary process – blending barrels into a batch and then bottling the whiskey at its actual proof, straight from the barrel. Batch Proof is crafted using the same grain bill and process as Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

However, Batch Proof takes Woodford Reserve’s trademark flavor range of sweet vanilla and toasted oak to a whole new level offering consumers the privilege of tasting Woodford Reserve in its purest form, not the standard 90.4 for which Woodford Reserve is known.

“Barrels drawn from the first floors of our heat-cycled warehouses routinely possess lower proof presentations due the more relaxed angel share process found there,” said Master Distiller Chris Morris, in a press release. “This batch had more of these barrels in its composition, and therefore a lower batch proof presentation than past releases.”

This limited-edition Woodford Reserve Batch Proof is available at the Woodford Reserve Distillery and in select U.S. and global markets. It has a suggested retail price of $129.99 for a 750mL bottle. This bottle will on occasion make its way to Oregon.