How many people have tried blending the ideal bourbon? Recently I was fortunate enough to participate in a virtual barrel pick. However, this was no ordinary barrel pick but an attempt at blending the ideal bourbon utilizing three Woodford Reserve Single Barrel selections. Charlie Berrie of Charlie’s Still on Main invited me to participate in the barrel pick with legendary Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris. Not only would Chris Morris deftly guide us through creating the best bourbon possible, but the resulting bottles would be Woodford Reserve bottles co-branded with Charlies Still on Main and Bourbonfool.com on the bottles.

Both Charlie and I had tasted our share of bourbons. But when you add someone like Chris Morris to the mix, we were going to be taken to new heights. Interestingly, Chris made it very clear that the finished bourbon would not be Woodford Reserve but a one of a kind bourbon whiskey blended from two very distinct Woodford single barrels. He explained that to reach the specific flavor profile of Woodford Reserve, you would need to combine many barrels. We were using just two.

The candidates

Barrel number one was barrelled in 2014 and presented at 122.1 proof.

Barrel number two was from 2015 and was a very robust 131.8 proof.

Barrel number three was also from 2015 and came in at 131.4 proof.

Sampling and blending

We first sampled each barrel selection at full proof. The results were immediately eye-opening; These were identical mash bills made by the same distillery. Barrels two and three were actually from the same batch and were the exact age. However, these were three very distinct bourbons. Charlie and I realized that barrel three was uniquely impressive.

The co-mingling of the barrels was done precisely and included the addition of water to proof-down the whiskey. For example, we would use one-half ounce of barrel one combined with one-half ounce of barrel two with the addition of a half-ounce of water to proof down the whiskey. The resulting sample was an indication of what the finished product would be.

The result of blending the ideal bourbon

This was our attempt at blending the ideal bourbon and it was made easier by the expert guidance of Master Distiller Chris Morris. All of you will be able to judge our one of a kind Still on Main and Bourbonfool.com bottles are. We think you will be impressed!

Bottle release date

For those followers of my blog, you will have an opportunity to purchase these bottles. We anticipate our blended barrel selection to be bottled, branded, and ready for distribution in November. For those of you interested, we have created a waiting list. We will update you on the availability of these exceptional bottles as we get information from Woodford Reserve and Brown Forman. Of course, you will be able to purchase this bourbon by the drink at Charlie’s Still on Main upon release of the product.