Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Four Grain Bourbon Batch #1

Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Four Grain Bourbon Batch #1 — the founding release of the Four Grain expression and the first release ever in the Woodford Reserve Masters Collection series: a Kentucky Straight Bourbon that adds wheat to the standard mash bill alongside rye, producing what was in 2005 the first four-grain bourbon in over 100 years.

In 2005, Master Distiller Chris Morris launched the Masters Collection with a premise rooted in the distillery's guiding philosophy — change one flavor source, document the result. For the first release, he changed grain: the standard Woodford mash bill of corn, rye, and malted barley became a four-grain recipe by adding wheat alongside the rye. This had not been done in American commercial bourbon production for more than a century. The addition of wheat alongside rye creates a different flavor dynamic than a pure wheated bourbon (where wheat replaces rye): both grains are present simultaneously, each contributing its own character — rye's spice and structure, wheat's softness and sweetness — rather than one replacing the other.

Batch #1 is the original Four Grain expression, released in Kentucky in 2005 and nationally in 2006, bottled at 92.4 proof and individually numbered. As the first release in a series now in its 20th year, it holds unique historical significance within the Masters Collection lineage.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: The combined grain character of four distinct sources — corn sweetness, rye spice, wheat softness, and malted barley nuttiness — with the triple pot still fruit complexity and caramel and vanilla from the oak
• Palate: More complex grain layering than standard Woodford — the rye spice and wheat softness interact distinctly, producing a profile that sits between a standard high-rye bourbon and a wheated bourbon without fully resembling either
• Finish: Medium-long with grain complexity, gentle spice, and warm oak

Specs

• Distillery: Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, Kentucky
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Masters Collection (#1 — founding release)
• Mash Bill: Four grains — corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley
• Distillation: Triple copper pot still
• ABV: 46.2% (92.4 Proof)
• Release: 2005 Kentucky / 2006 national — Batch #1
• Bottling: Individually numbered

Browse the full Woodford Reserve collection at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is the Four Grain historically significant? It was the first Masters Collection release (2005) and the first commercial bourbon with wheat alongside rye in the mash bill in over a century. Both distinctions make Batch #1 the founding piece of a series that has now produced 20 annual releases.
• What is the difference between a four-grain bourbon and a wheated bourbon? A wheated bourbon replaces rye with wheat entirely. Four Grain keeps both — rye and wheat coexist in the mash, each contributing its own character simultaneously rather than one replacing the other.
• Is this collectible? As the founding batch of the founding Masters Collection release, Batch #1 is among the most historically significant of all Masters Collection expressions for serious collectors of the series.