Woodford Reserve – Distiller's Select Holiday 2018 (1L, 45.2%)

This is the 2018 holiday bottle of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon, in a 1000ml bottle at 45.2% (90.4 proof). The label shows a snowy distillery scene, a painting called Winter Spirit by Lynn Dunbar of Louisville, Kentucky, with snow-covered barrels and the Scale House, one of the historic buildings on the distillery grounds in Woodford County. The nose brings dried fruit, mint and orange with a dusting of cocoa, over faint vanilla and tobacco spice. The palate is rich, chewy and smooth, with citrus, cinnamon, cocoa, toffee, caramel and spice. The finish is silky and almost creamy at first, with a long, warm tail.