Back in college, I earned a semester-long suspension after getting escorted out of a 500-person auditorium by the Boston Police Department for derailing a celebrity professor’s lecture. Per the pledging rules enforced by my upperclassmen “brothers,” the fraternity initiation prank demanded my carrying of a Power Rangers lunch box stocked with Marlboro Reds, condoms, Twinkies and bourbon. When the cop flipped it open and inspected the contents, he lingered for a moment over the bourbon, a quarter pint of Woodford Reserve. “Well, kid, at least it’s good whiskey,” he said before he booked me.
Years later, Woodford Reserve still ranks among my favorite bourbons. When the Kentucky distillery released Double Double Oaked, a limited-edition bourbon aged in two separate barrels, I couldn’t resist the splurge. Silky smooth with whiffs of maple syrup, pipe tobacco and apricots, it’s an exquisite treat. I’m always tempted to save up for other premium whiskeys —Master’s Keep from Wild Turkey, Private Selection from Maker’s Mark and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Selection come to mind — but I can’t help but play the skeptic: Am I paying for a genuinely superior bourbon or just falling for clever marketing? And while I believe money spent on fine whiskey is money well spent, I need to know I’m not getting suckered. (I’m still paying for — and paying off — that college prank.)
To shed some light on these nagging questions, I sat down with Frank Dobbins, a whiskey journalist, frequent spirits competition judge and a man who has forgotten more about whiskey than I could ever hope to know. “When you’re starting out with whiskey, begin with the bottom rungs of a distillery’s core line-up to acquaint your palate with their house style,” he says. “Once you know you like a particular distiller’s flavor profile, it makes sense to save up for premium bottles. This bottom-to-top approach will also allow you to discover seriously undervalued diamonds in the rough.” He listed Wild Turkey Rare Breed ($50), Jim Beam Black 7-Year Bourbon (about $30) and Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond (under $20) as whiskeys whose budget-friendly prices belied their top-shelf quality.
I pressed him on whether he thought premium bottles’ higher prices legitimately reflected superior quality. “A luxury whiskey might seem better, but it doesn’t always perform that way for everyone,” Dobbins says. “Many of them are intended to highlight a specific flavor profile or production method that might not be your jam — and that’s fine!” (He did admit that for some premium releases, notably from Michter’s and Wild Turkey, he would probably sell his firstborn child.)
Important Question: Is Too Much Whiskey Being Released?
Even with distilleries we love, the limited-edition bottles never seem to endAnother question burning in my soul was whether premium whiskeys made for tastier cocktails. I paid a visit to Bar Snack in East Village to chat with co-owner Iain Griffiths, a veteran New York City bartender. “Whether you should order well or premium whiskey depends on the cocktail in question,” Griffiths says. “If it’s a simple three- to four-ingredient drink, go with that expensive rye or bourbon.”
Griffiths says a classic Manhattan highlights rather than overpowers whiskey’s more delicate notes. “On the other hand, if you order an absolute bastard of a cocktail — say, something with koji-fermented vermouth, four types of bitters and other wildly superfluous ingredients — don’t waste your money on good juice. You won’t even taste it under all the noise on your palate.”
For Collin Frazier, the head mixologist at Great Jones Distilling Co. in Manhattan, the sticker shock of premium whiskeys reflects scarcity rather than superiority. “In our limited-release whiskeys, Celina Perez, our head distiller, works closely with farmers to select rare grains,” he says. “Because the batches are smaller, prices are higher.”
I was also curious about the flavor differences between Great Jones’ flagship bourbon and more expensive releases like the Basquiat Edition, an homage to the legendary Haitian-American painter. “Both are fantastic, but they appeal to different palates,” he says. “Our flagship whiskey showcases classic bourbon notes like caramel, apple and vanilla, while the Basquiat Edition has more unusual notes like apricot and minerality.” The Basquiat Edition’s longer maturation period — seven years in barrels instead of the flagship’s four years — and a finish in Pineau de Charentes wine casks also translate to higher prices.
Recently, I ran into Woodford Reserve’s head distiller, Elizabeth McCall, at a whiskey event in Manhattan. I seized the opportunity to settle my doubts once and for all. While Double Double Oaked is the only premium Woodford Reserve whiskey I own, some of their other high-priced offerings — like Kentucky Derby 150: Baccarat Edition — command prices north of $15,000 a bottle. To ensure an honest discussion, I showed her the can of Diet Coke I smuggled into the venue, threatening to defile my neat pour of Double Double Oaked at the slightest suspicion of marketing jargon.
Double Double Oaked’s rich flavor comes from its double maturation process, the same reason it costs considerably more than standard Woodford Reserve, McCall explained. As with standard Woodford Reserve, Double Double Oaked first ages in a charred new American oak barrel for six to seven years. After this initial maturation, McCall ages it for two additional years in a second barrel, a cask toasted over a low flame rather than charred. The two casks each impart distinct flavors into the final product. “The additional barreling costs us extra money and time but makes for a more complex bourbon,” McCall says. “Double Double Oaked is spicier than standard Woodford Reserve, with aromas of dried cherry, cranberry and blackberry jam on the nose and chai tea on the palate.”
Weeks later, on a chilly evening in early March, I sat in my library and poured a dram of Double Double Oaked into a Glencairn. As I warmed the glass with my hands, I rolled around the conversations with Dobbins, Griffiths, Frazier and McCall. When it came to whiskey, was ignorance bliss?
Maybe. But my inquiry into premium whiskey has, at the very least, made me a savvier buyer. Following Dobbins’s advice, I always start with a distillery’s standard bottles before considering an upgrade to their premium offerings. To develop my palate, I typically explore standard releases from distilleries I haven’t tried yet, rather than splurging on premium bottles from brands I already know. That said, I do make exceptions — Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked is a staple in my collection, reserved for special occasions. When savoring a premium whiskey, I pour it neat in a Glencairn, sipping it during the course of an hour to let the liquid warm and develop its fragrance. For cocktails, I’m happy to let the bartender pour whatever whiskey is on hand.
And finally, my best tip: Before committing to a full bottle of a luxury whiskey, sample it at a local bar. In New York, that’d be somewhere like The Flatiron Room, Peck Slip Social or Sip & Guzzle (if you see me there, feel free to buy me a glass).
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