If the standard Woodford Reserve is your reliable field operative, the Double Oaked is what happens when you send that same soldier to advanced training. Same DNA. Darker mission.
If you’ve read our Woodford Reserve distillery post, you already know the backstory on one of Kentucky’s most iconic operations. The flagship Distiller’s Select is a well-executed, balanced bourbon that earns its keep. But Woodford didn’t stop there. They took that same distillate, ran it through a second barrel — this one deeply toasted before a light char — and produced something noticeably richer, sweeter, and more complex. The result is the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and it’s been turning heads on back bars and bourbon shelves since it launched in 2012. At around $55, the price of admission is fair. The question is whether the upgrade justifies the extra spend over the base expression. Let’s get into the field notes.
Mission Briefing
- Operation: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
- Command: Brown-Forman / Woodford Reserve Distillery — Versailles, KY
- Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Rations: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
- Firepower: 43.2% ABV / 86.4 Proof
- Time in Service: NAS — first barrel standard maturation, finished in a second heavily toasted, lightly charred new oak barrel
- Enlistment Fee: ~$55 (750ml)
Want to get your hands on a bottle? ReserveBar carries Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and ships to most states — ReserveBar – Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Worth having it arrive at your door before the next pour session.
Recon Notes (Nose)
Pour it into your Glencairn and stand at ease for a minute. This one opens up slowly and rewards patience — a virtue the military tried to install in all of us with varying degrees of success. The nose is noticeably sweeter than the standard Woodford, leading with rich vanilla and dark caramel that smell less like a candy shop and more like something your grandmother pulled out of the oven on a Sunday afternoon. Behind that comes dark fruit — cherry and dried plum — layered over warm toasted oak and a subtle thread of honey. There’s a whisper of hazelnut and dark chocolate deep in the glass that only reveals itself after a few minutes of air. Clean, inviting, and distinctly more indulgent than the flagship expression. The second barrel has done its job before you even take a sip.
Frontline Flavor (Palate)
Here’s where the Double Oaked earns its stripes. The sweetness that showed up on the nose carries forward in a big way — this is noticeably sweeter than standard Woodford Reserve, and that’s not a complaint. Rich dark caramel and baking spice lead the charge, followed by cinnamon, vanilla bean, and dark cherry. There’s a hazelnut and chocolate mid-palate note that gives this bourbon a dessert-forward character without tipping into cloying territory. The rye in the mash bill keeps things from going completely soft — you’ll catch black pepper and a touch of leather underneath all that sweetness, which provides balance and keeps the sip interesting. Where it shows its limitations is body. At 86.4 proof, there’s genuine flavor in the glass, but the lower ABV prevents it from hitting with full force. More proof would make this an elite bottle. As it stands, it’s very good — just not all it could be.
For a full comparison of the standard Woodford and the Double Oaked side by side, Flaviar has both in their catalog and offers a subscription model worth exploring if you’re building out your tasting rotation — Flaviar Subscription.
After Action (Finish)
Medium to medium-long, and pleasant throughout. The oak dries things out at the close in a welcome way — think dark chocolate and toasted wood rather than harsh tannins. The caramel sweetness lingers past the finish line, and there’s a mild fruit note that hangs around just long enough to make you consider pouring another. It doesn’t evolve dramatically on the finish, but what’s there is consistent and enjoyable. It closes cleanly without overstaying its welcome, like a good debrief that ends on time.
Debrief
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is a legitimate upgrade over the standard Distiller’s Select — fuller, sweeter, and more complex in all the right ways. The double-barrel process is not a gimmick here; it genuinely transforms the character of the bourbon into something darker, richer, and more indulgent. At around $55, the price is fair for what you get. It doesn’t blow the doors off the building, and the lower proof keeps it from reaching its full potential, but this is a well-crafted, approachable bourbon that earns its shelf space without question. It’s also one of the most versatile expressions Woodford makes — equally at home neat, on the rocks, or in a bourbon-forward cocktail like an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, where that extra sweetness and oak really sing.
If you visited the distillery and want to bring a piece of it home, this is the bottle to grab. If you’re looking for your next regular rotation pour, it earns serious consideration at this price point. It just won’t make you forget every other bottle you’ve ever tried.
Whiskey Orders (Rating)
🎖 Active Duty Pour — Reliable and enjoyable daily drinker.
Great in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan — the extra oak plays well in a cocktail. Neat, it’s enjoyable but leaves you wanting more body. Grab a bottle on ReserveBar if you want it shipped direct: ReserveBar – Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.
