Woodford Reserve was first introduced in 1996, but the distillery—originally named Old Oscar Pepper Distillery—opened in 1812, making it one of the oldest distilleries in Kentucky. The distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000.
Woodford Reserve’s mashbill is 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. Another crucial ingredient is naturally filtered water from the limestone deposits that sit under the property.
Most bourbons are fermented for three days, but not spirits under the roof at Woodford. Clocking in at six days, it’s one of the longest fermentation processes in the industry.
Woodford’s delicate batching process includes an intricate blend of whiskey distilled in pot stills and whiskey distilled in column stills. It’s one of the rare American brands employing the triple distillation process, giving them a unique differentiator. Morris explained to Whiskey Advocate that “his principle is to keep everything the same when running an experimental batch, from the yeast and water to the fermentation periods, and let the triple-distillation emphasize the difference.”
Woodford matures their spirits in new, white oak barrels that are built, toasted and charred in-house at their cooperage. Next, the barrels age in their heat-cycled warehouse, a process that involves heating and cooling the warehouse to reach perfection in the maturation process.
Sustainability is incredibly important to Woodford. Across all operations, 98% of their waste material is recycled and 97% of food scraps are composted. Around 10 acres of land at the distillery are dedicated to native grass restoration and they’ve partnered with The Nature Conservancy on a stream restoration project.
In 2009, Elizabeth McCall, Assistant Master Distiller, earned her master’s in psychology from the University of Louisville and was thinking of becoming a therapist. Instead of going that route, an opportunity arose and, though she had no experience in the beverage industry, she jumped at the chance to work at Brown-Forman, Woodford’s parent company, as a sensory lab technician. Data entry, writing reports and planning tasting panels were some of her initial tasks in the role.
Later, she was promoted to associate sensory scientist and started to travel to Brown-Forman’s global offices and trained teams on sensory methods like training your nose and taste buds and how to spot defects in the product. Concurrently, while she was taking an internal Brown-Forman class, Woodford Reserve’s Master Distiller Chris Morris was looking for someone to groom to become a Master Taster. McCall stood out as a top candidate and a few months later she was approached by Morris to train for that role.
Two years later, she became Sr. Quality Control Specialist and Master Taster at Woodford. Then in 2018, McCall earned a promotion to Assistant Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve, working directly with Chris Morris to produce new, innovative expressions at the beloved bourbon brand.
McCall is featured in a group of rising young talent in the industry, many of them women, who make key decisions that will define their brands and industry, in the years to come. She told us back in April 2018, “It's unique that I am a woman in this role, just given the history of the titles in the industry. But at Brown-Forman, I've always been surrounded by women. It's never been weird for a woman to have a seat at the table and to voice her opinions."
In addition to her main role of Assistant Master Distiller, she also works with people in Woodford’s Personal Selection Program, allowing customers to craft their own two-barrel batch of Woodford Reserve bourbon.
Last year, she was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers of 2020. She was recognized in part for her work with local Kentucky farmers to bring back growing rye so it can be sourced locally instead of Canada and Europe, from where it’s currently being imported.
Chris Morris is only the second person to hold the title of Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve. Morris started at Brown-Forman in 1976 as a trainee and held several roles before working as an understudy to Woodford’s first Master Distiller, Lincoln Henderson. Morris eventually succeeded him in 2003.
Morris is responsible for innovative expressions like the first bourbon finished in chardonnay and pinot noir barrels. He’s also behind famed expressions Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Rye and Master’s Collection.
Both Morris and McCall share the belief that the keys to making the best bourbon are not only time and patience, but also science and art. McCall told us back in 2018, “Morris has taught me a lot over the years and he will continue to teach me more. He said that maintaining the elements of what Woodford Reserve was built on is key to this brand’s success.”
