Woodford Reserve
When I arrived at work today, I was surprised by a visit from the man in brown. Now the fact that UPS was at the door wasn’t so much of a surprise, as we get deliveries quite often, but the size of the package he was carrying was what peaked my interest. A large box, about three feet cubed lay before me, addressed to myself and the owners. The mystery deepened.
Tearing into the parcel I waded through an ocean of popcorn in order to reach my prize. Coming up for air, I had in my hand three wooden boxes, each cradling a bottle of Woodford Reserve VIP Distillers Select.
Now, we are a dear friend to Woodford Reserve, as I use it in our signature drink, the Vessel 75, as well as in our “well”. I’ve always liked Woodford, finding it to be a sublime expression with dried fruit, ginger and very light vanilla, finishing with robust spicy oak, and given that here, in Washington, it is only two dollars more than a more common bourbon like Wild Turkey, it seemed a no-brainer to have Woodford’s elegant bottle grace my shelves.
The wood-encased bottles were signed by the distiller, Chris Morris, thanking us for our support and accompanied by a letter which revealed that our little bar was the number one seller of Woodford Reserve in the United States. In a word, WOW!
If you understood the size of our bar, I know that you would be amazed by this feat as well, given the number of bars/clubs in New York, San Francisco, Miami etc that do more volume in a single day than we do in one month. It was also nice to see a company acknowledge our support of their product and hand-write a thank you note (and even nicer for that note to be written on booze).
So here’s to the team at Woodford Reserve, gentlemen all, and may they continue to produce fine whiskey for many years to come!
Santé!
Enjoy Woodford neat or in the following cocktail:
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MORRIS COCKTAIL
1 ½ oz Woodford Reserve
1 oz Lillet
½ oz Amaro Nonino
dash Fee’s orange bitters
dash of simple syrup
stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
garnish with orange zest
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Picture and drink by:
Jamie Boudreau
www.vesselseattle.com
.
SpiritsAndCocktails.com 
How is the distiller’s select different than the regular? Is this the Woodford that has spent a few months in chardonnay casks?
Number one seller of Woodford Reserve in the U.S.?! Double WOW, given your location!! Would you say most of that volume is in sales of the Vessel 75? Has the signature drink been a way of introducing people to premium small batch bourbon and thus making new bourbon drinkers? Or has bourbon always been popular in the Pacific Northwest? I ask, Jamie, because I live and work smack dab in the middle of bourbon country and just a stone’s throw from the Woodford Reserve distillery. Kudos to you guys!
Brant:
You are thinking of the Sonoma Cutrer finish Woodford. I’m trying to find out if there is a difference between the Distillers Select and the bottle that we got. It may just be different labeling. I believe they have a packaging gimmick that allows you to put your name on bottles of VIP Distillers Select, but I am still waiting to find out if the liquid inside is any different. Either way, it doesn’t matter, as I won’t be opening it as it is sort of a “trophy” to me.
Walt:
A lot of those sales were definitely from the Vessel 75 (3 oz of Woodford x 65 Vessel 75s a day (when we’re busy) = 195 oz or 7 bottles), but $4 happy hour Woodford (2 oz pours) didn’t hurt either, in addition to other bourbon drinks on the menu.
[…] Jaime Boudreau likes Woodford Reserve and since I enjoy reading his blog I thought I would give it a try and buy a small […]
[…] sugar and 1/2 orange slice together. Next, I filled the glass with ice and poured in two ounces of Woodford Reserve . Then, another 1/2 slice of orange and a maraschino cherry to top it off. After a quick stir, I […]
i think it makes a wonderful addition and is most definitely a trophy, but one to be shared with close friends, not necisarrily one for the shelves. But that’s just my top cents!
[…] sugar and 1/2 orange slice together. Next, I filled the glass with ice and poured in two ounces of Woodford Reserve . Then, another 1/2 slice of orange and a maraschino cherry to top it off. After a quick stir, I […]
[…] sugar and 1/2 orange slice together. Next, I filled the glass with ice and poured in two ounces of Woodford Reserve . Then, another 1/2 slice of orange and a maraschino cherry to top it off. After a quick stir, I […]