Woodford Reserve Double Oaked 375ML

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked 375ML is a twice-barreled Kentucky straight bourbon bottled at 45.2% ABV in a 375ml format. A Gold award winner at the 2024 ASCOT Awards, this expression stands apart through its proprietary secondary maturation in a new barrel that is deeply toasted for 40 minutes before receiving just a five-second char — a technique Brown-Forman pioneered for a permanent lineup release.

Quick Facts: ABV: 45.2% (90.4 proof)  |  Origin: Versailles, Kentucky, USA  |  Style: Twice-Barreled Bourbon  |  Distillery: Woodford Reserve Distillery

Production & Heritage

Woodford Reserve Distillery sits on the site of one of Kentucky's oldest and most storied distilling locations in Versailles, Woodford County, and operates under Brown-Forman ownership. The Double Oaked begins with the standard Woodford Reserve bourbon — built on a mashbill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley — matured in new charred American oak barrels with roughly 10 minutes of toasting and a 25-second char. What defines the Double Oaked is its transfer into a second new charred oak barrel, this one toasted for a much longer 40 minutes with only a brief five-second char, coaxing out deeper caramelized sugars and wood-derived sweetness without excessive tannic bite. Brown-Forman was among the first major producers to use a fresh charred barrel — rather than a used wine, port, or spirit cask — as the finishing vessel for a nationally distributed bourbon.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Dark fruit and sharp honey lead, followed by layers of caramel, chocolate, and marzipan. Toasted oak and a subtle marshmallow sweetness round out the nose.

Taste: The entry is full-bodied and immediately sweet, with dark caramel and vanilla coating the palate. At mid-palate, hazelnut and baked apple emerge alongside warm baking spices, while a drizzle of corn syrup sweetness threads throughout. The rye component adds just enough structure to keep the richness in check.

Finish: Long and notably creamy, with honeyed apple lingering well past the final sip. Lightly toasted oak and a faint nuttiness persist as the sweetness gradually fades.

How to Drink Double Oaked

Neat is the ideal starting point — the second barrel imparts such layered sweetness and texture that dilution can mute its defining qualities. A single large ice cube works well on warmer days, slowly opening up the fruit and spice as it melts. For cocktails, the Double Oaked excels in an Old Fashioned, where its inherent caramel depth means you can dial back the sugar; a Boulevardier, where its robust body stands up to Campari's bitterness; and a Brown Sugar Milk Punch, where its vanilla and toasted-oak character amplifies the drink's dessert-like richness.

Best For

• Gifting a bourbon enthusiast who favors sweeter, oak-forward profiles
• Sampling a premium expression without committing to a full 750ml bottle
• After-dinner sipping alongside chocolate or dessert courses
• Building a home bourbon tasting flight comparing standard versus finished expressions

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Double Oaked taste like? Woodford Reserve Double Oaked delivers a rich, full-bodied bourbon experience dominated by dark caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, and baked apple, with a long, creamy finish of honeyed fruit. The second barrel amplifies sweetness and toasted-wood character well beyond the standard Woodford Reserve profile.

How does Double Oaked compare to Angel's Envy Bourbon? Both are finished bourbons, but they take very different paths — Angel's Envy uses port wine casks for its secondary maturation, contributing a fruity, wine-inflected sweetness, while Double Oaked uses a second new American oak barrel, yielding deeper caramel, toasted wood, and vanilla notes. Double Oaked is bottled at 45.2% ABV compared to Angel's Envy's 43.3%, giving it slightly more body and palate weight.

Is Double Oaked good for sipping neat? This bourbon is exceptionally well-suited to neat sipping, as the second barrel maturation creates a layered, creamy texture and complex sweetness that reward undiluted attention. The 45.2% ABV sits in a comfortable range that delivers flavor intensity without excessive heat.

Where is Double Oaked made? Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is produced at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky. The distillery, owned by Brown-Forman, is located in the heart of Kentucky's bourbon country along Glenn's Creek.

What foods pair well with Double Oaked? Dark chocolate truffles complement the bourbon's cocoa and marzipan notes. Pecan pie mirrors its caramel and nutty character. Smoked pork belly plays off the toasted-oak sweetness. Aged Gouda's butterscotch qualities echo the vanilla and caramel. Crème brûlée matches the creamy, caramelized sugar profile almost identically.

What sizes does Double Oaked come in? Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is available in a 375ml half-bottle and a standard 750ml bottle, with the 375ml size serving as an accessible format for sampling or gifting.

Is Double Oaked worth the price? Double Oaked positions as a premium expression within the Woodford Reserve lineup, sitting above the standard bourbon but below limited-edition releases. The proprietary second-barrel process and the resulting complexity represent strong value within the finished-bourbon category.

Why Double Oaked?

The defining differentiator here is the second barrel itself — not a recycled wine or spirit cask, but a brand-new American oak barrel with a dramatically different toast-to-char ratio that extracts a distinct set of flavors from the wood. That 40-minute toast with a five-second char is the inverse of a typical bourbon barrel's profile, and it produces the creamy, caramel-heavy, low-tannin character that has earned this expression consistent recognition, including Gold at the 2024 and 2023 ASCOT Awards. Among widely available finished bourbons, few employ a technique this specific or deliver this level of oak-driven sweetness without veering into cloying territory. The 375ml format makes it particularly practical for exploring the expression before committing to a full bottle or for splitting a side-by-side tasting against the standard Woodford Reserve.