{"product_id":"woodford-reserve-masters-collection-no-16-very-fine-rare-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey","title":"Woodford Reserve Master's Collection No. 16 Very Fine Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWoodford Reserve Masters Collection No. 16 Very Fine Rare — the 2020 Masters Collection release and a watershed moment for the series: the oldest Woodford Reserve bourbon ever released at the time, blending barrels up to 17 years old that date to 2003 — the year Chris Morris became Master Distiller — in a deliberate departure from the experimental grain and finishing focus that had defined the first 15 releases.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough its first 15 releases, the Masters Collection changed something every year — a different grain, a different cask finish, a different distillation variable. Very Fine Rare No. 16 changed the formula itself: no experiment, no novelty. Just age. Morris and McCall had been holding back barrels from the 2003 distillation year, waiting for the right release to present them. At 17 years old, those barrels had developed a character fundamentally different from Woodford's standard 5-7 year profile — old oak tannins balanced by honey and caramel, cured tobacco threading through fruit, the weight of nearly two decades in Kentucky warehouse heat cycles fully expressed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe name comes directly from 19th century Kentucky bourbon history: local newspapers from the 1830s documented auction listings for \"Very Fine Rare Bourbon\" barrel lots, a designation used when age and quality distinguished a specific cask from standard production. Morris borrowed that language to frame a release that honored both the distillery's past and his own tenure at Woodford.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom No. 16 onward, the Masters Collection shifted focus from historical experimentation to contemporary innovation — Very Fine Rare marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eNose:\u003c\/strong\u003e Layers of rich toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, and vanilla merging into cured tobacco character, brightened with apple fruit; the extra age is immediately apparent in the oak depth\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePalate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Old oak notes sweetened with honey, balanced with citrus and apple peel and a touch of clove spice; the 17-year barrels produce a tannin structure and dried fruit complexity unavailable in younger Woodford expressions\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFinish:\u003c\/strong\u003e Long with raisin fruit, malty sweetness, and warm oak tapering into a deeply satisfying close\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecs\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDistillery:\u003c\/strong\u003e Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, Kentucky\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eStyle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Masters Collection (#16)\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAge:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blend including barrels up to 17 years (2003 distillation, the year Morris became Master Distiller)\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eMash Bill:\u003c\/strong\u003e 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eABV:\u003c\/strong\u003e 45.2% (90.4 Proof)\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRelease:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2020\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRating:\u003c\/strong\u003e 91 points — Whisky Advocate (Spring 2021)\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 750ml\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrowse the full \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodencork.com\/collections\/woodford-reserve\"\u003eWoodford Reserve collection at Wooden Cork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWhat is “Very Fine Rare”?\u003c\/strong\u003e A term borrowed from 19th century Kentucky bourbon auctions. Local newspapers from the 1830s listed exceptional aged barrel lots as “Very Fine Rare Bourbon” when age and quality distinguished them from standard production. Morris used this historical language to frame the oldest Woodford release to date.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWhy are 17-year barrels unusual for Woodford Reserve?\u003c\/strong\u003e Woodford typically pulls barrels at 5-7 years. In heat-cycled Kentucky warehouses, barrels older than that risk losing too much volume to evaporation. Morris and McCall held these 2003 barrels back specifically for a special release, monitoring them carefully until the profile was right for bottling.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDoes this mark a change in the Masters Collection direction?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — explicitly. From No. 16 onward, Woodford stated that future Masters Collection releases would focus on contemporary innovation by Morris and McCall rather than historical grain and finishing experiments.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is Very Fine Rare?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A term from 19th century Kentucky bourbon auctions, where exceptional aged barrel lots were listed as Very Fine Rare Bourbon. Morris borrowed this historical language to frame the oldest Woodford release to date.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why are 17-year barrels unusual for Woodford Reserve?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Woodford typically pulls barrels at 5-7 years. In heat-cycled Kentucky warehouses, older barrels risk losing too much to evaporation. Morris and McCall held these 2003 barrels back specifically for a special release.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Does this mark a change in the Masters Collection direction?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes — explicitly. From No. 16 onward, future Masters Collection releases would focus on contemporary innovation rather than historical grain and finishing experiments.\"}}]}\u003c\/script\u003e","brand":"Woodford Reserve","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42900725301319,"sku":"413605","price":399.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/0640\/2375\/files\/Buy-Woodford-Reserve-Very-Fine-Rare-Bourbon-Online_a9f49139-20b7-4e27-8ee9-ebc263f1c917.jpg?v=1782423270","url":"https:\/\/bourbonnest.com\/products\/woodford-reserve-masters-collection-no-16-very-fine-rare-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey","provider":"Bourbon Nest","version":"1.0","type":"link"}