Woodford Reserve Chocolate Malt Whisper

45.2% ABV, 90.4 proof. Straight bourbon made of 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley

Woodford’s 2019 Master’s Collection edition was a chocolate malted rye that delivered a sip that was equal measures flavorful and unique. The company found that the bourbon they made immediately after featured a degree of chocolate malt in its flavor profile. Hence the clever name they gave this distillery-only release: Whisper.

Anyone that has tasted a full-on chocolate malt whiskey knows their usual dark roasted flavor is anything but meek. One could expect a follow-up run using the same equipment would probably have some trace of that same flavor, but would ultimately be lost in the overall volume of the new batch. Except that isn’t the case with Chocolate Malt Whisper. Although it's not the onslaught of typical chocolate malt flavors to the same degree, it’s interestingly only half a step down compared to the 2019 Master’s Collection.

Packing gentle yet acute roasted flavors, with chocolate, hazelnut, chestnut, and toasted oak standing out the most, the whiskey can act as a nice introduction to the world of chocolate malt whiskey for newcomers to this style. It’s more approachable than most whiskeys of its kind yet still leaves that trademark aftertaste that lingers...and lingers...and lingers. At the end of the day it's still Woodford Reserve bourbon at its core with a chocolate malt layer on top. It's definitely a fun “what-if” concept that makes you wonder if the company should grab hold of this niche whiskey style and plant its flag in it.