The OG of Double Oaked...Proofed Up

When we introduced the Seelbach’s Heritage Collection in April 2024, the goal was simple: create space for the producers who helped define the whiskey landscape we enjoy today. Since then, we’ve continued to add thoughtful selections from those heritage distillers and blenders, and it’s been clear that many of you appreciate having those releases gathered in one place.
 
As Double Oaked expressions continue to dominate the conversation across the whiskey world, we felt it was time to highlight one of the earliest and most influential examples. We spend a lot of time discussing substitutes and modern takes, but there’s something uniquely satisfying about revisiting the whiskey that started it all. For me, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked was one of those early pours that turned curiosity into obsession.

 
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked was released in February 2012, more than 15 years after the release of standard Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select. Woodford Double Oaked is produced by re-barreling Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select in a second virgin charred oak barrel for a little under a year. The second barrel used is deeply toasted before being lightly charred.
 
This year, we became one of the first retailers to offer Woodford Reserve’s new Double Oaked Barrel Proof single barrel selections. These barrels follow the same double-barrel process as the standard Double Oaked, including the initial proofing step, but they are not diluted down to the final 90.4 proof. Once selected as single barrels, they are bottled at the proof they naturally sit at after the second barrel, showcasing a fuller, more concentrated expression of Double Oaked.
 
This 96.39 proof single barrel opens with classic French toast meeting worn leather, decadent with salted maple, vanilla pudding, dried mango, slightly toasty sweet oak, and bacon jam.
 
The palate shows lovely viscosity, led by salted maple and a subtle smokiness, with nips of orange oil and black cherry layered in. There’s a manageable spice that nips at the end of each sip, like a charred marshmallow, accented by touches of leather and cocoa powder.
 
The finish carries through with cocoa powder and amaretto, continually circling back to that slightly savory, toasty leather.