Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon consists of a mixture of pot still whiskey distilled at the company's Woodford Reserve Distillery in Woodford County, and column still spirits from the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky.

Woodford Reserve Rye uses a pre-prohibition style ratio of 53% rye in its mash bill to pay homage to history's original rye whiskeys, making spice and tobacco the dominant note among a sea of fruit, floral, and sweet aromatics, which yields a nice sweetness and overall balance.

Woodford Reserve is crafted from a grain recipe of 72% corn, 18% Rye, and 10% malted barley. This recipe balances the sweetness of corn with the spice of rye, and the nuttiness of malt to build the base for the world's most flavorful bourbon.

between 6-7 years It is also known as "Distiller's Select". This high-rye bourbon has a mash bill containing 18% rye. It is made from a combination of pot still and column still whiskey. The bourbon is aged between 6-7 years and carries no age statement.

CAPSULE REVIEW It is bottled in a handmade crystal decanter that took five days to create in Baccarat, France. As has been done in the scotch and cognac world for years, it's this piece of Baccarat glass that is very valuable thus driving up the price.

Julie Reiner says this bottling is a “great mixing bourbon” and “an easy sipping whiskey,” but she finds the finish slightly hot and prefers other whiskeys in Woodford's price range, such as Wild Turkey 101 and Buffalo Trace.

There are notes of honey and spice, leather, a touch of cocoa, a little smoke, toasty oak and vanilla cream with a hint of butterscotch. Palate: Thick and full. There are notes of espresso beans, winter spice, cereal sweetness, plenty of rye, ground ginger, almond oil, toasty oak and a little rum.

The Recipe - Bourbon is distilled from a fermented mash of grain, yeast and water. The “mash bill” must have a minimum of 51% corn. For most bourbons, the average is about 70%. Other grains such as rye, malted barley and wheat are considered the “flavor” grain.

Woodford Reserve Rye ranks 33rd overall in Bourbon.

While those brands are incredibly old (for example Old Forester is one of the oldest brands still in existence and the first widely sold bottled bourbon), Woodford Reserve started its life in 1996 as a small batch premium bourbon meant to capture people's growing interest in higher-end whiskeys.

Whiskey: The Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey. The main differences between bourbon and whiskey are the kind of grain used and where the spirit is produced. Bourbon is an American made whiskey that must contain at least 51 percent corn in its mash and be aged in new, charred-oak barrels.

The connection between the state and the spirit is undeniable. Kentucky sits on a bed of gorgeous blue limestone, which makes the ideal building block for bourbon. When water flows through the rock, it picks up minerals that add personality and flavor.