Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Five-Malt Stouted Mash

Very bready nose, but once you get past it, you’re greeted with chocolatey, spiced-rum and orange zest

Coffee and chocalate notes. Dry finish

And now, a moment of silence: tonight is the end of the line for this bottle, which has been a favorite of mine since I first bought it shortly after it was released in 2021. I had never been a fan of Woodford Reserve until they began releasing their Master’s Collection series. The Batch Proof 123.2, released in 2019 and which unfortunately I was never able to properly review, was a favorite. This Five-Stouted Mash is another favorite, albeit for completely different reasons. Woodford describes the color as “antique orange,” which on the Pantone spectrum is about 159. The nose is amazing: tasted blind, one might initially believe this to be a Russian Imperial Stout—consistent with the stated intent of the master distiller. The nose shows mocha, Mexican mole, dark chocolate orange wedges, dried Ancho chiles, and vanilla. Rich, viscous mouthfeel, with cocoa powder and a light chile spice, before finishing with café Cubano, dark chocolate-covered coffee beans, and some vanilla. As I’ve noted in previous reviews, when I first tried the Five-Malt-Stouted Mash, I thought it would be a polarizing, love-it-or-hate-it whiskey. A not-statistically-significant sample size of two (myself and my good friend @ataylor156) confirmed this; I loved it, and he hated it. Which turned out to be a blessing, because it meant that I didn’t have to share any more with him. This is one of those whiskies that simply must be tried; it truly offers a uniquely hedonistic and intellectually satisfying whiskey experience. As incredible as this is, however, I can imagine it would be even better at a higher proof. I’m sad to see this one go. Actually, sobbing uncontrollably. An Internet search shows that this can be found for around $140. Would I buy this again? Yes. Unequivocally. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 90.4 proof.

Decent offering. Get some stout notes from cask. Think this takes away from the whiskey flavor some for me though. Very smooth.

Rich and malty