Woodford Reserve’s purpose to by no means repeat a Grasp’s Assortment recipe has compelled it to get fairly modern after 20 years of releases. For 2023, the distillery has put collectively a novel providing referred to as Sonoma Triple End. This one honors its longstanding footprint in Sonoma County, ending Woodford bourbon in Sonoma County pinot noir, brandy, and former bourbon barrels that have been subsequently used to age crimson wine.
Let’s see the outcomes.
Immersive on the nostril, there’s positively one thing distinctive right here that evokes darkish chocolate, caramel sauce, and brown butter — with complementary notes of tea leaf and barely brooding barrel char. Notes of oxidized apples emerge with time in glass, offering some subdued, autumnal fruit notes. On the palate, the whiskey showcases a wealthy, rounded physique, once more fairly nutty and with an intriguing be aware of menthol backing it up. Buttery and creamy on first blush, there’s a heavy tannic high quality that shortly comes into focus as you sip on the whiskey — pushed I’m positive by the crimson wine affect. Because the end approaches, look ahead to extra of this robust, doughy high quality on faucet. This high quality truly turns into a contact daunting because it develops within the glass, coming throughout as barely gritty and chalky on the end.
Every thing’s pretty and on level proper up ’til the top, alas. Guess it’s too unhealthy they didn’t go along with a Sonoma Double End. Received grasping.
90.4 proof.
B+ / $150 / woodfordreserve.com
Woodford Reserve Grasp’s Assortment Sonoma Triple End
$150
