Woodford Reserve (Brown-Forman) is turning 25, and there will be the usual celebrations. But what’s most important is the brand’s focus on the future.
Earlier this year, Woodford Reserve said it would double its capacity, increasing its three iconic copper pot stills to six stills. A new building will house utilities and storage space, clearing the way for new fermenters in the current distillery building. Additional grain and barrel unloading areas as well as a training center for employees are also being planned.
Woodford Reserve sits on Kentucky’s oldest distilling site where Elijah Pepper began crafting whiskey in 1812. Owsley Brown II, former Brown-Forman CEO, had a vision in the mid-1990s – to create a homeplace where guests could learn the history of bourbon while sipping on the world’s finest bourbon.
“The words of Owsley Brown II still hold true today,” Elizabeth McCall, assistant master distiller, said. “Woodford Reserve is a labor of love for everyone involved. A love of this place, a love of history and a love of making superb whiskey.”
Brown-Forman renovated the historic distillery and – in 1996 – opened it to the public for tours.
To conserve this National Historic Landmark, where many whiskey innovations occurred in the 1800s and 1900s, Woodford Reserve collaborated with historic preservation leaders in Frankfort and Washington so the design of this latest building will complement the older structures.
The global brand helped elevate American Whiskey as a category worldwide when it partnered with renowned French fine crystal producer Baccarat to create the Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition.
The Woodford Reserve family of brands now includes five permanent expressions — bourbon, rye, double oaked, malt and wheat — along with limited edition expressions, including the Master’s Collection and the very highly sought after Double Double Oaked with its cult following.
And yesterday (10/11), Master Distiller Chris Morris and McCall laid down a new whiskey.