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The name alone should tip you off that this is not just another bourbon. "Master's Collection" suggests a limited-release run (a mere 750 cases total), while "four grains" reveals that a fourth ingredient has been added to the recipe. Most bourbons rely on a mix of corn (at least 51 percent), malted barley and rye. Woodford Reserve's special blend introduces wheat to the equation.
Corn usually imparts sweetness, rye slips in a little spiciness, but what does wheat do? In this case, it delivers nuttiness, but not a lot of it, and not from start to finish. The 92-proof, dark caramel booze has a prominent vanilla nose with hints of bread and yeast. The butterscotch flavor coats the tongue and gets very little competition from alcohol; this is fairly smooth, not hot bourbon. A sweet, nutty aftertaste lingers. Finally, there's that wheat.
Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Four Grain has one other claim to fame. It is the only bourbon to be triple-distilled exclusively in copper-pot stills (the bottle is even shaped like one). Think of these innovations not as modern-day gimmicks but rather as a return to the pioneering spirit that put Kentucky spirits on the map.
-- James Oliver Cury
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