“It’s so funny that you mention it as a ‘milestone,’ I didn’t consider that when I was working on this release,” Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall tells Maxim. “We work so far ahead on our releases and, of course, releasing a product when the flavor is optimal, so I was thinking more about that than it being the ‘20th release.’”
Taking the reins at Woodford Reserve from the legendary Chris Morris, the man most responsible for elevating Woodford Reserve to the top of the bourbon conversation, McCall has shouldered the responsibility with great deft. Today she’s discussing a true milestone, the 20th release in the well-awarded Kentucky distillery’s highly coveted Master’s Collection: the fall 2024 Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection, Madeira Cask Finish.
“We have our own set of ‘guard rails’ for innovation within the Master’s Collection: only change one of the five sources of flavor,” McCall explains, highlighting how Woodford Reserve first introduced the Master’s Collection in 2006 with ‘Four Grain,’ an expression that played with mash bills. The following year, in 2007, Woodford Reserve was among the first bourbons to finish in wine casks.
“It was quite controversial at the time, but is now a common practice by other distillers. This 20th expression marks that historic milestone, with a new Madeira wine cask,” notes McCall. “With each release you will notice that we change only one thing: grain recipe, maturation, or finish. We will not or have not changed the other two sources of flavor: water and fermentation. This allows our consumers to taste how changing just one flavor source changes the flavor of our whiskey.”
While the inaugural Master’s Collection in 2006 played with mash bills, the 20th iteration follows the 2007 expression by experimenting with wine finishes. In this case, using casks that previously aged renowned Madeira — a fortified wine from the Portuguese island off the coast of Africa, made famous during the Age of Exploration for being the launching pad for boats looking to cross the Atlantic (including Christopher Columbus’ own Niña, Pinta and Santa María).
As such, these voyages required fortified wines that could make the long voyage to the New World without spoiling. It also helped bring casks of the famed Madeira wines across the quickly expanding world map. “Madeira Cask Finish is a tremendous way to celebrate 20 years of the Master’s Collection,” the Master Distiller contends. She says with the Maderia finish she was hoping to enhance their whiskeys rich, dried, dark fruit character, as well as its nutty malt profile.
So Woodford Reserve finished a trio of their whiskies — bourbon, rye, and wheat — each separately in these Madeira casks, which McCall and her team tasted individually and then blended together. “I liked the blend flavor profile, I felt it had some delightful complexity,” she explains. “After I tasting the blend of just the whiskies finished in Maderia I knew I wanted to tone down the Maderia just slightly, and the wheat was the perfect whiskey for the job… it made sense to look to our wheat whiskey for blending.”
Although not as famous as their bourbon or rye, and only sold in limited markets, Woodford Reserve’s wheat whiskey mash bill is known for being “very fruit forward with hints of cinnamon.” Drawing from her extensive knowledge of Woodford Reserve’s offerings McCall knew this expression — the wheat whiskey without any Madeira second aging — would be the perfect ingredient to tone down the heavy Maderia influence. “That was magnificent! Hence the final product was born,” she says proudly. “When I taste this it reminds me of dried cherries sprinkled with baking spices, and a long lingering finish of a dried dark fruit medley and toasted walnuts.” Woodford Reserve ‘Master’s Collection 2024’ Madeira Cask Finish is available for $180 SRP.
Follow Deputy Editor Nick Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
