Woodford Reserve
Type: Distillery and brand
Woodford Reserve is a Brown-Forman American whiskey brand launched in October 1996, associated with a historic distillery near Versailles, Kentucky.[8][9] Its bourbon combines pot-still and column-still whiskey, an important distinction at a site whose copper pot stills are central to its identity.[1][3]
| Fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
| Location | 7785 McCracken Pike, Versailles, Kentucky.[6] |
| Owner | Brown-Forman Corporation of Louisville, checked November 2026; effective date not reliably established.[2][8] |
| Business status | Not reliably established in the supplied sheet. |
| Distilling status | Not reliably established in the supplied sheet. |
| Visitor access | Not reliably established in the supplied sheet. |
| Site status | Not reliably established in the supplied sheet. |
| Site history | Elijah Pepper moved to the present site in 1812; Oscar Pepper built the current distillery building in 1838.[3] |
| Modern reopening | Restored and reopened by Brown-Forman in 1996.[3][4] |
| Brand launch | October 1996.[9] |
| Bourbon grain recipe | The producer gives 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley.[1] |
| Bourbon bottling strength | 45.2% ABV (90.4 US proof).[1][10] |
| Master Distiller | Elizabeth McCall, appointed 6 February 2023.[2] |
What Woodford Reserve is known for
Woodford Reserve brings together a nineteenth-century distillery setting and a brand created in the 1990s. The Kentucky Distillers' Association describes cypress fermenters and copper pot stills, while the producer describes barrels of its own making and heat-cycled stone warehouses.[1][3] These are useful details for understanding the whiskey, but they do not mean that every component comes through the pot stills.
The distinction between the historic site and the modern brand also explains the dates attached to Woodford Reserve. The producer points to bourbon-making on the property in 1812, whereas Brown-Forman dates the introduction of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon to 1996.[1][4] One date belongs to the place; the other belongs to the name on the bottle.
Alongside Bourbon, the producer names Rye, Malt and Wheat, as well as Double Oaked, Double Double Oaked, Batch Proof, Master's Collection and Distillery Series.[1] Woodford Reserve is therefore a brand covering several whiskeys and collections, not simply another name for its principal bourbon. For another Kentucky whiskey name, see maker's mark.
From the Pepper distillery to the modern brand
The earlier history starts with Elijah Pepper, who established himself as a distiller in Versailles in 1797. In 1812 he moved to the Grassy Springs Branch of Glenn's Creek, the present site, where Oscar Pepper built the current distillery building in 1838.[3]
Claim: Dr James Crow worked as Oscar Pepper's Master Distiller at the present site.[3]
Verdict: Documented.
What the record shows: The Kentucky Distillers' Association records Crow's role.[3]
Evidence gap: The earliest source for the claim is not established in the supplied sheet.
Source: Kentucky Distillers' Association history. Checked November 2026.
Story box: an old site, a new brand
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Founding story | Brown-Forman restored and reopened the distillery in 1996 and introduced Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon that year.[4] |
| Turning point | Brown-Forman repurchased the property in 1993, before the restoration and reopening.[3] |
| Documented record | The site's distilling history predates Woodford Reserve: Elijah Pepper moved there in 1812, and Oscar Pepper built the current distillery building in 1838.[3] |
| Claim and source mapping | Reopening and brand introduction: Brown-Forman's 2013 account. Repurchase and Pepper chronology: Kentucky Distillers' Association history. |
| Last checked | November 2026; exact day to be confirmed from the research record. |
Labrot and Graham later acquired the distillery, followed by Brown-Forman in 1941.[3][7] Claim: Accounts differ on when the distillery ceased operating.[7][10]
Verdict: Disputed.
What the record shows: Chris Morris described the property as abandoned in 1959; another account says Brown-Forman operated it into the late 1960s.[7][10]
Evidence gap: The exact closure year and the earliest source of each account are not reliably established in the supplied sheet.
Sources: The Spirits Business history and Wikipedia's supplementary account. Checked November 2026. It was sold to a neighbouring farmer in 1973 and repurchased by Brown-Forman in 1993.[7]
Owsley Brown II drove the modern brand's launch.[6]
Claim: University of Kentucky interns researched possible sites before Brown-Forman chose the old Labrot and Graham plant.[6]
Verdict: Documented.
What the record shows: The anniversary account reports the interns' research and the choice of site.[6]
Evidence gap: The earliest source for the account is not established in the supplied sheet.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader anniversary account. Checked November 2026.
Production and site timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1797 | Elijah Pepper established himself as a distiller in Versailles.[3] |
| 1812 | Pepper moved to the present site.[3] |
| 1838 | Oscar Pepper built the current distillery building.[3] |
| 1941 | Brown-Forman acquired the distillery.[3][7] |
| 1973 | The property was sold to a neighbouring farmer.[7] |
| 1993 | Brown-Forman repurchased it.[3][7] |
| 1996 | The restored distillery reopened and Woodford Reserve was introduced.[4] |
| 2000 | The site was designated a National Historic Landmark.[3][10] |
The Pepper House and spring house are among the historic buildings on the property.[3] They belong to the site's longer history, alongside the distillery building, rather than to the comparatively recent creation of the Woodford Reserve brand.
How the bourbon is made
The producer's bourbon recipe is 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley.[1] This grain recipe, often called a mash bill, is a more precise starting point than assuming that all the brand's whiskeys use the same ingredients.
Woodford Reserve describes its water as limestone-filtered water from the property, using the words “iron-free and mineral rich”. It also says fermentation uses its own yeast strain.[1] The fermenters are made of cypress wood, another distinctive feature of the production account.[3]
Copper pot stills are part of the process, but the producer states that each batch combines pot-still and column-still whiskey.[1][3] The useful takeaway is the combination itself: a photograph of the pot stills does not describe the complete composition of the bourbon.
For maturation, the producer specifies new charred oak barrels “of our own making” and heat-cycled stone warehouses.[1] These statements describe the company's approach to wood and warehousing; they are not tasting notes, and no first-hand tasting is claimed here.
The expansion record needs its dates attached. Brown-Forman's 2013 plan included three new pot stills and three warehouses intended to hold more than 165,000 barrels.[4] A further expansion announced in 2021 was described as doubling production capacity and adding three new copper pot stills.[5] Neither announcement should be read as a current inventory of all equipment.
Understanding the range
The clearest way into the range is to distinguish grain-led expressions from names that foreground additional oak maturation or a particular collection. The producer lists Bourbon, Rye, Malt and Wheat separately from Double Oaked and its other named offerings.[1] Those distinctions are more informative than treating everything bearing the Woodford Reserve name as interchangeable.
| Expression | Documented point of difference |
|---|---|
| Bourbon | Producer's recipe: 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley; bottled at 45.2% ABV (90.4 US proof).[1][10] |
| Double Oaked | Introduced in 2012, with an additional year in heavily toasted, lightly charred barrels.[6][7] |
| Rye | Launched in January 2015, with 53% rye in its grain recipe.[7] |
| Double Oaked Rye | Introduced in October 2026; 53% rye, 33% corn and 14% malted barley.[8] |
For Double Oaked Rye, the October 2026 report describes base whiskey aged for 5 to 7 years, followed by about 8 months in a second barrel.[8] Those are production details reported for that expression, not an age statement to apply across the brand.
The producer also names Double Double Oaked, Batch Proof, Master's Collection and Distillery Series.[1] Their names should be kept distinct: a collection is not a single expression, and a detail documented for one release should not automatically be transferred to another.
The people behind the modern whiskey
Lincoln Henderson was Woodford Reserve's first Master Distiller.[6] On 6 February 2023, the producer named Elizabeth McCall as its third Master Distiller, with Chris Morris becoming Master Distiller Emeritus.[2]
McCall had become Master Taster in 2015 and Assistant Master Distiller in February 2018.[2] That progression gives useful context to her appointment: the announcement followed earlier roles within the brand rather than marking her first involvement with it.
Common mistakes
“The Woodford Reserve brand dates from 1812.” The confusion comes from using the property's history as the brand's birthday. Elijah Pepper moved to the present site in 1812, and the producer says bourbon was first made there that year. Woodford Reserve launched in October 1996.[1][3][9]
“The site has produced bourbon continuously since 1812.” Its long history includes an interruption, a sale in 1973 and a reopening in 1996.[4][7] The disputed closure date does not change the central point: the history was not uninterrupted.
“Woodford Reserve bourbon is entirely pot-distilled.” The copper stills make that assumption understandable, but the producer explicitly describes each batch as combining pot-still and column-still whiskey.[1] A separately named triple-pot-still release should not be used to describe the whole range.
Where to go next
- Old Forester: continue with another American whiskey name.
- Maker's Mark: explore a neighbouring Kentucky distillery and brand.
- Four Roses: continue through the American distilleries and brands collection.
Sources
- Woodford Reserve. Our Story. Producer's account, undated, edition supplied in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://www.woodfordreserve.com/our-story/
- Woodford Reserve. Woodford Reserve Names Elizabeth McCall Master Distiller. Producer's announcement, 6 February 2023. https://www.woodfordreserve.com/woodford-reserve-names-elizabeth-mccall-master-distiller/
- Kentucky Distillers' Association. Kentucky Governor Congratulates Woodford Reserve on 200th Anniversary of Distillery. Industry-body account, edition supplied in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://kybourbon.com/industry-news/kentucky_governor_congratulates_woodford_reserve_on_200th_anniversary_of_distillery/
- Brown-Forman. Brown-Forman to Expand Woodford Reserve Distillery. Company announcement, 2013. https://investors.brown-forman.com/investors/news-releases/press-release/2013/Brown-Forman-to-Expand-Woodford-Reserve-Distillery/default.aspx
- WDRB. Woodford Reserve to expand distillery to double production capacity. News report, 2021. https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/woodford-reserve-to-expand-distillery-to-double-production-capacity/article_a9794666-8b1c-11eb-829c-e721cf02456f.html
- Lexington Herald-Leader. Woodford Reserve at 30. Anniversary reporting, 2026. https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article317585389.html
- The Spirits Business. Woodford Reserve: a brand history. Secondary historical account, July 2015. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/07/woodford-reserve-a-brand-history/
- Courier Journal. Woodford Reserve releases new Double Oaked Rye. News report, October 2026. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2026/10/29/woodford-reserve-releases-new-double-oaked-rye-whiskey-bourbon/92397192007/
- The Spirits Business. Woodford Reserve marks 30 years with special releases. News report, October 2026. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2026/10/woodford-reserve-marks-30-years-with-special-releases/
- Wikipedia. Woodford Reserve. Supplementary account, revision supplied in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodford_Reserve
This desk-researched article uses verified fact sheet TOP-A288, keeping producer statements attributed and separating the property's history from the brand's launch.
Last checked: November 2026