PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Master’s Collection is Woodford Reserve’s experimental series, launched in 2005 to isolate and showcase one variable at a time in bourbon production. For No. 22, Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall looked at the barrel’s raw material. Traditional bourbon barrels use white oak that has been seasoned in the open air for months, or up to a year. Super Seasoned Oak is matured in specialized barrels built from staves that were exposed to the elements for five to seven years.
The distillery compares it to a cast-iron skillet: “much like a well-used cast-iron skillet is seasoned and provides a depth of flavor, so too do barrel staves exposed to the elements for extended periods.” That long weathering reduces harsh green tannins, opens up the wood grain, and coaxes out deeply concentrated sugars, imparting “a depth of spice, toasted sweetness, and dark fruit complexities” to the bourbon. The whiskey was aged about nine years in these barrels, starting from Woodford’s standard mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley, and bottled at 100.4 proof (50.2% ABV), ten proof points above the flagship.
The distillery’s tasting notes describe an amber bourbon with an aroma of “rich caramel and vanilla with almond, cherry, and cinnamon-dusted dried red apples,” a taste that is “a velvet current of vanilla and caramel brightened with a zesty mix of orange oils, cinnamon, and clove,” and a finish that is “sweet with warm cinnamon.” One retailer’s description adds butterscotch, chocolate, pecan, maple, leather, and tobacco, with a finish that is “long and warming with lingering oak, spice, leather, tobacco, and caramelized sweetness.”
Compared with Woodford’s Double Oaked, which gets its wood influence from a second maturation in a heavily toasted barrel, Super Seasoned Oak changes the barrel’s raw material and produces what one retailer calls “a different kind of oak sweetness with less tannic bite.” It’s a thoughtful, oak-focused release for collectors who follow the Master’s Collection, and for bourbon drinkers curious about how the barrel itself shapes flavor. It’s new, released in limited quantities from September 2026, with no independent reviews yet. Sip neat, with a few minutes in the glass and perhaps a few drops of water, or use it in an Old Fashioned.
Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection No. 22 Super Seasoned Oak is produced at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, under Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall. It is a Kentucky straight bourbon, aged about nine years in barrels made from white oak staves seasoned outdoors for five to seven years, built on Woodford’s standard mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. Bottled at 50.2% ABV / 100.4 proof, 700ml. Limited release, 2026.
No independent critic reviews are published yet for this new release.
Woodford Reserve (official tasting notes):
“Color: Amber. Aroma: Rich caramel and vanilla with almond, cherry, and cinnamon-dusted dried red apples. Taste: A velvet current of vanilla and caramel brightened with a zesty mix of orange oils, cinnamon, and clove. Finish: Sweet with warm cinnamon.”
Retailer description:
“Long and warming with lingering oak, spice, leather, tobacco, and caramelized sweetness... a profile of vanilla, almonds, orange, butterscotch, chocolate, cinnamon, pecan, maple, oak, leather, and tobacco.”
Nose
Amber. Rich caramel and vanilla, with almond, cherry, and cinnamon-dusted dried red apple.
Palate
A velvety current of vanilla and caramel, brightened by orange oils, cinnamon, and clove, with butterscotch and pecan.
Finish
Sweet and warming, with cinnamon, oak, leather, and a touch of tobacco.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Super Seasoned Oak |
| ABV / Proof | 50.2% ABV / 100.4 Proof |
| Age | About 9 years |
| Mash Bill | 72% corn / 18% rye / 10% malted barley |
| Barrel | Staves seasoned outdoors 5–7 years (vs. months to a year for standard barrels) |
| Distillery | Woodford Reserve — Versailles, Kentucky |
| Master Distiller | Elizabeth McCall |
| Series | Master’s Collection No. 22 (2026 release) |
| Style / Identity | A caramel-and-orange-oil bourbon showcasing how extended stave seasoning shapes oak sweetness |
| Aromas & Flavors | Caramel, vanilla, almond, cherry, dried red apple, orange oils, cinnamon, clove |
| Bottle Size | 700ml |
Neat in a Glencairn glass — rest for a few minutes to open the oak, vanilla, caramel, and spice.
With a few drops of water — to bring out the citrus and oak.
Old Fashioned — an oak-forward version where the seasoned-oak character shines.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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