Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon - $10 off (plus two other decent bourbon "sales")

Following up on last week's excitement over a release of Eagle Rare 10 year old, I'm happy and sad to report that Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is on sale. Happy because this is a very good bourbon and a sale is a sale but sad because the regular price has climbed $5 just since last October.

$65.05 after $10.00 off. 90 proof.



I wasn’t always a big fan of WRDO but it was mostly because of the price point of its regular price. But last year, it became a bargain because its $70.25 regular price had held steady for years now whereas other whiskeys had inched upwards. Also, the more I sampled WRDO, the warmer I became to its charms. In fact, my brother was in town late last Spring and I opened the whiskey cabinet to him - we must have tried six or eight whiskeys and he pronounced this to be the best of them - ahead of ER10 and Blanton's.

Enough about that. This bourbon has a serious and interesting nose – definitely worth quaffing this neat in a glencairn glass and appreciating the nose before the first sip. There’s oak, toasted spice, and sweetness to be enjoyed. There’s enough oak that carries over to the tongue to combine with dried fruit and other mellow flavours that it is set quite apart from the “regular” (but still decent) Woodford Reserve.
At 90.4 proof, WRDO is accessible but packs a punch. Definitely for sipping. Still, be bold and try this in an Old Fashioned, another boubon-based mixed drink, or just over chilled whiskey stones.

$10 off would normally be a stupendous sale for the LCBO but the recent price hike of this is disappointing. Still, IMO, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is a must buy for bourbon aficionados.

Next up: Wild Turkey Longbranch

86 Proof. $56.95 after $5.00 off



This one has been priced steadily in the mid-50s for a while so I don't have the same reservations as I do with the pricing of WRDO. This is a very decent bourbon but if you can only buy one bourbon right now, get the WRDO - you won't be disappointed.

This is perhaps the easiest drinking bourbon here. Slightly lower proof and just a hint of smoke but it has a great mouth-feel when taken neat. Its nose and flavours are very interesting (again, use a Glencairn glass). This one rewards if you let it linger a little on your tongue. If I was to put this in a cocktail, it would be a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned. I will be buying a couple of these for sure.

Finally: Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year Old $49.95 after $5.00 off. 91 proof



Bulleit’s age statement is 10 years and is displayed on the label. At $7 less than Long Branch and $16 under WRDO, this is a bargain here but don't let its low price fool you. I find Bulleit 10 to be spicy, complex enough, and mellow. An Old Fashioned is a good choice for this bourbon but so is sipping it neat or frankly, even over a cube. I wasn't always a fan of Bulleit 10 but it has won me over in recent years.

I posted this Old Fashioned recipe in one of my last bourbon sale posts and I will repeat it here (at that time, it was made with Wild Turkey LongBranch but suitable for the Bulleit as well):

1 teaspoon sugar syrup
1 maraschino cherry
3 dashes Angostura bitters (available at the LCBO)
1 teaspoon water
2 oz of bourbon
1/2 slice of orange

Combine into a glass the syrup, bitters, and water and stir
Add the 1/2 slice of orange and mash with a pestle into the glass
Add two ice cubes and pour 2 oz of bourbon over top of the ice
Add the cherry, stir, and serve

Enjoy!