Table Of Contents

The Details

Rating 90
Style
Whiskey
Produced In United States
ABV 45.2%
Availability Limited
Price $180.00 
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2024-12-06

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Review

Launched in 2006, the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection highlights some of the brand’s most experimental distillates, blends, and finishes. The subsequent releases have zigged and zagged to virtually all corners of the American whiskey spectrum, including some offbeat expressions that make the first version — Four Grain — look almost pedestrian by comparison.

Now under the guidance of master distiller Elizabeth McCall, Woodford recently released its 20th Master’s Collection: a Madeira cask finish. And if your math isn’t quite working out, it’s because Woodford has occasionally released more than one Master’s Collection per year.

McCall and her team initially finished Woodford bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskeys in Madeira casks. Those finished whiskeys were then blended with Woodford’s regular (and unfinished) wheat whiskey, which the brand says ultimately makes for a product with “expansive fruit and floral notes.”

Let’s see how this latest Master’s Collection stacks up!

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish review.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish: Stats and Availability

This iteration of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection comes in a 700-milliliter bottle with a suggested retail price of about $180. Unlike a lot of premium releases from major brands, it’s fairly widely available both in stores and online (including through Woodford’s site, which only ships to Ky., N.D., Neb., and Washington, D.C.). That relatively broad accessibility is perhaps one reason it’s rare to see these marked up too much above retail.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Upon pouring a sample, I got a hefty whiff of funky dry wine. But my worry about this getting too lost in the finish was a bit premature. After resting for a few minutes, the whiskey itself carries a lot of hallmark Woodford aromas: there’s a bready, brown sugar-meets-Hawaiian sweet rolls component that comes through in spades. The deep and dry aroma of toasting barrel staves permeates throughout. The wood is being transformed by heat, but never quite to the point of combustion — think of a campfire completely devoid of acrid components.

Both vanilla and walnut extracts follow, sweet-leaning notes that come through as just the tiniest bit medicinal. The oak element eventually extends beyond toasted wood and moves toward leather book binding and library stacks. After even longer in the glass, there’s yet another evolution, this time via Luxardo cherry, spicy red pepper jelly, and a wet herb medley.

Fans of a classic Woodford nose will discover a lot to embrace here, though I imagine some others might find the layers of sweetness, spice, and old books polarizing. It could very well smell like a fastball down the middle to some — and a complete changeup to others.

Taste

Well, that is certainly different at first taste. The first sip brings a tiny taste of classic Woodford, but that’s quickly enveloped by unsweetened dried fruit: cranberries, figs, apricots, bananas, and tart cherries, all dehydrated and with no added sugar. It’s not that sweetness is lacking entirely, but the Madeira casks are certainly doing a lot of lifting here; classic bourbon caramel is thus moved to the background.

It’s a little tough to separate the fruit influence from the Madeira casks versus the added (and unfinished) wheat whiskey. But this is hands-down one of the most fruit-forward Woodford expressions I’ve ever tried.

Black walnut and very dark chocolate build toward the midpalate, with some surprisingly sweet residual cherry syrup adding complexity.

While it took me a couple minutes to acclimate to the palate, the longer it goes, the more I want to continue sipping; each taste brings on a new layer of dried fruit (blood orange) or spice/herb (sumac).

Finish

Even at just above 90 proof, this Master’s Collection carries a creamy mouthfeel that helps extend flavor on the finish even with the relatively dry palate. Chocolate covered cherries and coffee beans linger alongside leather-forward tannins.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Rating

90/100

Recap

The Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection is famed for having some all-time great pours, though a few were met with initial skepticism. I wouldn’t be shocked if this 20th edition was met with both smiles and raised eyebrows. While the nose comes through with elevated yet classic notes, the palate is unique from the first sip, truly a new creation all its own. This is a whiskey that doesn’t divulge its secrets (or full flavor) immediately. I think many Woodford fans will be glad for the metaphorical wrestling match. And I certainly hope folks are willing to take a small gamble.

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· Brand Profile: Woodford Reserve

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90
POINTS
Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish
Launched in 2006, the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection highlights some of the brand’s most experimental distillates, blends, and finishes. The subsequent releases have zigged and zagged to virtually all corners of the American whiskey spectrum, including some offbeat expressions that make the first version — Four Grain — look almost pedestrian by comparison. Now under the guidance of master distiller Elizabeth McCall, Woodford recently released its 20th Master’s Collection: a Madeira cask finish. And if your math isn’t quite working out, it’s because Woodford has occasionally released more than one Master’s Collection per year. McCall and her team initially finished Woodford bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskeys in Madeira casks. Those finished whiskeys were then blended with Woodford’s regular (and unfinished) wheat whiskey, which the brand says ultimately makes for a product with “expansive fruit and floral notes.” Let’s see how this latest Master’s Collection stacks up! Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish review.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish: Stats and Availability

This iteration of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection comes in a 700-milliliter bottle with a suggested retail price of about $180. Unlike a lot of premium releases from major brands, it’s fairly widely available both in stores and online (including through Woodford’s site, which only ships to Ky., N.D., Neb., and Washington, D.C.). That relatively broad accessibility is perhaps one reason it’s rare to see these marked up too much above retail.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Upon pouring a sample, I got a hefty whiff of funky dry wine. But my worry about this getting too lost in the finish was a bit premature. After resting for a few minutes, the whiskey itself carries a lot of hallmark Woodford aromas: there’s a bready, brown sugar-meets-Hawaiian sweet rolls component that comes through in spades. The deep and dry aroma of toasting barrel staves permeates throughout. The wood is being transformed by heat, but never quite to the point of combustion — think of a campfire completely devoid of acrid components. Both vanilla and walnut extracts follow, sweet-leaning notes that come through as just the tiniest bit medicinal. The oak element eventually extends beyond toasted wood and moves toward leather book binding and library stacks. After even longer in the glass, there’s yet another evolution, this time via Luxardo cherry, spicy red pepper jelly, and a wet herb medley. Fans of a classic Woodford nose will discover a lot to embrace here, though I imagine some others might find the layers of sweetness, spice, and old books polarizing. It could very well smell like a fastball down the middle to some — and a complete changeup to others.

Taste

Well, that is certainly different at first taste. The first sip brings a tiny taste of classic Woodford, but that’s quickly enveloped by unsweetened dried fruit: cranberries, figs, apricots, bananas, and tart cherries, all dehydrated and with no added sugar. It’s not that sweetness is lacking entirely, but the Madeira casks are certainly doing a lot of lifting here; classic bourbon caramel is thus moved to the background. It’s a little tough to separate the fruit influence from the Madeira casks versus the added (and unfinished) wheat whiskey. But this is hands-down one of the most fruit-forward Woodford expressions I’ve ever tried. Black walnut and very dark chocolate build toward the midpalate, with some surprisingly sweet residual cherry syrup adding complexity. While it took me a couple minutes to acclimate to the palate, the longer it goes, the more I want to continue sipping; each taste brings on a new layer of dried fruit (blood orange) or spice/herb (sumac).

Finish

Even at just above 90 proof, this Master’s Collection carries a creamy mouthfeel that helps extend flavor on the finish even with the relatively dry palate. Chocolate covered cherries and coffee beans linger alongside leather-forward tannins.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Rating

90/100

Recap

The Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection is famed for having some all-time great pours, though a few were met with initial skepticism. I wouldn’t be shocked if this 20th edition was met with both smiles and raised eyebrows. While the nose comes through with elevated yet classic notes, the palate is unique from the first sip, truly a new creation all its own. This is a whiskey that doesn’t divulge its secrets (or full flavor) immediately. I think many Woodford fans will be glad for the metaphorical wrestling match. And I certainly hope folks are willing to take a small gamble.

Reviewed On: 12-06-2024
90
POINTS
Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish
Launched in 2006, the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection highlights some of the brand’s most experimental distillates, blends, and finishes. The subsequent releases have zigged and zagged to virtually all corners of the American whiskey spectrum, including some offbeat expressions that make the first version — Four Grain — look almost pedestrian by comparison. Now under the guidance of master distiller Elizabeth McCall, Woodford recently released its 20th Master’s Collection: a Madeira cask finish. And if your math isn’t quite working out, it’s because Woodford has occasionally released more than one Master’s Collection per year. McCall and her team initially finished Woodford bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskeys in Madeira casks. Those finished whiskeys were then blended with Woodford’s regular (and unfinished) wheat whiskey, which the brand says ultimately makes for a product with “expansive fruit and floral notes.” Let’s see how this latest Master’s Collection stacks up! Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish review.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish: Stats and Availability

This iteration of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection comes in a 700-milliliter bottle with a suggested retail price of about $180. Unlike a lot of premium releases from major brands, it’s fairly widely available both in stores and online (including through Woodford’s site, which only ships to Ky., N.D., Neb., and Washington, D.C.). That relatively broad accessibility is perhaps one reason it’s rare to see these marked up too much above retail.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Upon pouring a sample, I got a hefty whiff of funky dry wine. But my worry about this getting too lost in the finish was a bit premature. After resting for a few minutes, the whiskey itself carries a lot of hallmark Woodford aromas: there’s a bready, brown sugar-meets-Hawaiian sweet rolls component that comes through in spades. The deep and dry aroma of toasting barrel staves permeates throughout. The wood is being transformed by heat, but never quite to the point of combustion — think of a campfire completely devoid of acrid components. Both vanilla and walnut extracts follow, sweet-leaning notes that come through as just the tiniest bit medicinal. The oak element eventually extends beyond toasted wood and moves toward leather book binding and library stacks. After even longer in the glass, there’s yet another evolution, this time via Luxardo cherry, spicy red pepper jelly, and a wet herb medley. Fans of a classic Woodford nose will discover a lot to embrace here, though I imagine some others might find the layers of sweetness, spice, and old books polarizing. It could very well smell like a fastball down the middle to some — and a complete changeup to others.

Taste

Well, that is certainly different at first taste. The first sip brings a tiny taste of classic Woodford, but that’s quickly enveloped by unsweetened dried fruit: cranberries, figs, apricots, bananas, and tart cherries, all dehydrated and with no added sugar. It’s not that sweetness is lacking entirely, but the Madeira casks are certainly doing a lot of lifting here; classic bourbon caramel is thus moved to the background. It’s a little tough to separate the fruit influence from the Madeira casks versus the added (and unfinished) wheat whiskey. But this is hands-down one of the most fruit-forward Woodford expressions I’ve ever tried. Black walnut and very dark chocolate build toward the midpalate, with some surprisingly sweet residual cherry syrup adding complexity. While it took me a couple minutes to acclimate to the palate, the longer it goes, the more I want to continue sipping; each taste brings on a new layer of dried fruit (blood orange) or spice/herb (sumac).

Finish

Even at just above 90 proof, this Master’s Collection carries a creamy mouthfeel that helps extend flavor on the finish even with the relatively dry palate. Chocolate covered cherries and coffee beans linger alongside leather-forward tannins.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Madeira Cask Finish Rating

90/100

Recap

The Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection is famed for having some all-time great pours, though a few were met with initial skepticism. I wouldn’t be shocked if this 20th edition was met with both smiles and raised eyebrows. While the nose comes through with elevated yet classic notes, the palate is unique from the first sip, truly a new creation all its own. This is a whiskey that doesn’t divulge its secrets (or full flavor) immediately. I think many Woodford fans will be glad for the metaphorical wrestling match. And I certainly hope folks are willing to take a small gamble.

Reviewed On: 12-06-2024