If anyone is thinking about what to get me for Christmas, please know I have been very good this year and would not be averse to this stunning Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition.
The limited release, only 120 bottles in Australia, super-premium Kentuck bourbon whiskey has been finished in XO Cognac casks and comes presented in a stunning Baccarat crystal glass decanter. It retails at $3000 per bottle, and like I said I have been very good this year!
Master Distiller Chris Morris started the process of creating this whiskey back in 2016, when he took fully matured premium Woodford Reserve bourbon and filled 12 three-vintage XO Cognac casks. Then he waited. Patiently.
The majority of whiskies, when undergoing ‘finishing’ will spend up to 12 months in the second barrel; Morris left his whiskey in the Cognac barrels for three years.
The result is an elegant, rich, and complex flavour profile, balancing crisp American and French oak notes, intricate fruit character, subtle spiciness, and a creamy confectionary finish.
“It’s a significant moment for us as we’re the first Kentucky bourbon to enter a space where typically the finest single malts and cognacs play,” Morris said.
“Kentucky has a history with France, dating back to King Louis XVI, and to honor this history I decided to combine the finest of Kentucky spirits with the finest of French in a collaboration that would bring this history to life.”
This whiskey deserves to be presented properly, and if you’ve been patient in its creation, then being patient with presentation makes sense. The striking Baccarat glass crystal decanter, which takes five days to craft, makes sense.
The decanter has sleek, rounded edges evoking the silhouette of Woodford Reserve.
Engraved with the logos of both of these two icons of craftmanship, each bottle is topped with a crystal stopper adorned with the ‘WR’ initials. The bottle is presented in a Baccarat signature crimson red box with doors that rotate on opening.
