Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Straight Malt

Much darker in color than the Classic bottling (also reviewed this issue) as is expected. The nose warns of a wood-whelmed whiskey: dark bitter wood notes with a caramel underlay. The mouth is much hotter than the Classic bottling with bold oak spice in the front and a gooey caramel/toffee sweetness underneath…only it’s not as good as that sounds. It’s all rather one-dimensional including the hot oak finish. An interesting lesson in wood but not at $200 for the pair.