Woodford Reserve Distillery

Few American distilleries can claim that the modern bourbon industry was, in a meaningful sense, invented on their property. Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky can. The limestone buildings along Glenn's Creek have hosted whiskey-making since 1812, and it was here that Dr. James C. Crow refined the sour mash process that still governs how bourbon is made today. The brand on the label is young, launched in 1996, but the ground under it is among the oldest working distillery sites in Kentucky, and the whole property is a National Historic Landmark.

History & Heritage

Elijah Pepper was distilling in Woodford County by the late 1790s and moved his operation to the Glenn's Creek site outside Versailles around 1812. The farm passed to his son Oscar Pepper, who put up the main stone distillery building in 1838 and employed a Scottish-born chemist, Dr. James C. Crow, as his distiller. Crow brought scientific rigor to the craft and is widely credited with standardizing the sour mash method. In 1878 the property was sold to Leopold Labrot and James Graham, who ran it as the Labrot & Graham Distillery until Brown-Forman Corporation bought it in 1941. Brown-Forman later sold the site, then repurchased it in the early 1990s, restored it, and launched the Woodford Reserve brand in 1996. The property earned National Historic Landmark status in 2000 and took the Woodford Reserve Distillery name in 2004. Elizabeth McCall became Master Distiller in 2023, succeeding Chris Morris, who remains Master Distiller Emeritus.

The Whiskey

Woodford Reserve is unusual among Kentucky producers for its copper pot stills, built by Forsyths of Scotland, which triple-distill spirit that is married with column-still whiskey from Brown-Forman's Shively facility for the flagship bourbon. The bourbon mash bill runs 72 percent corn, 18 percent rye, and 10 percent malted barley, and the distillery also produces rye, malt, and wheat whiskeys. Fermentation here runs among the longest in the industry by the distillery's account, and the barrels age in heat-cycled warehouses that work the spirit deeper into the charred oak. Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon is the house standard, bottled at 90.4 proof. Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey takes fully matured bourbon through a second, deeply toasted barrel. The annual Master's Collection explores one-off techniques and finishes, including Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Madeira Cask, finished in fortified wine casks from the Madeira Islands, and Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey shows what the pot stills do with a malted barley base. As presenting sponsor of the Kentucky Derby since 2018, the distillery also releases a commemorative Derby bottling each spring.

Why It Matters

Woodford Reserve sits at the intersection of history and modern technique: the sour mash process was refined on this ground, and the pot-still program keeps the distillery experimenting rather than coasting on the story. For those who appreciate good whiskey, tasting Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon beside Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a clean lesson in what barrel treatment alone can do. The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library holds 12 Woodford Reserve expressions, from the core range through Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Single Barrel and Master's Collection releases such as Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Madeira Cask.

Visiting the Distillery

The distillery in Versailles, Kentucky offers daily experiences, from the 70-minute Path to Flavor Tour ($35 to $40) and a $25 Spectacle for the Senses tasting in the historic Dryer House, up through barrel-focused and mixology sessions, a $500 VIP Master Distiller Tour Experience, and a full-day Bourbon Academy. Experiences book online in advance.