Kentucky Whiskey brand, Woodford Reserve has announced the latest extension of its acclaimed Master's Collection, which will be released for sale in Australia by owner Brown-Forman in early July.
This seventh release, called Four Wood, is part of the limited edition bottlings that push the limit of what Kentucky Whiskey offers by crafting rare and innovative products.
Four Wood is a unique batch of mature Woodford Reserve bourbon that has been aged in American Oak and finished in barrels made from Maple Wood, Sherry Wood and Port Wood.
In 1999 Woodford Reserve began to experiment with wood finishing. Over the years a great deal of knowledge has been compiled on how fully matured Woodford Reserve interacts with still wine barrels, other spirit type barrels, exotic wood barrels and fortified wine barrels.
"This year's Master's Collection brings together a unique combination of exotic wood (Maple) and fortified wine (Port and Sherry) in a complex interplay of flavors unsurpassed in our craft," said Woodford Reserve master distiller Chris Morris.
"The batching ratios of the three finishing barrels were painstakingly chosen so that no one character dominated the final product. Instead, Four Wood is so balanced that the palate effects of each of the four woods plays a discernible role in the final flavour presentation."
With each release, one of the five sources of flavour is changed for the Master's Collection expressions. These five sources – grain, water, fermentation, distillation, and maturation – are unique to bourbon whiskey, and altering just one of them creates a totally new flavour profile.
"Four unique barrels have been used in the maturation process creating a distinctive ultra-premium offering for this year's Masters Collection," said brand manager Danielle Barrett. "As with all previous Masters Collections, Four Wood is a limited release with just 336 bottles available for sale nationally."
Four Wood is the seventh in the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection series following the Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, Sweet Mash, Seasoned Oak, Maple Wood Finish and the last release, Rare Rye Selection, which was released in Australia late 2012.
Released periodically at the master distiller's discretion, the Master's Collection whiskeys are extremely limited in quantity and bottled only once, in a proprietary package inspired by the copper pot stills of The Woodford Reserve Distillery.
Four Wood will be sold in selected venues; each bottle is individually numbered and presented at 47.2 per cent ABV. The suggested retail price is $225 for a 700ml bottle.