Woodford Reserve is crafted by production methods that were pioneered in the early 1800’s. Based upon Dr. James Crow’s standards of bourbon production, Woodford Reserve follows a time-honored process while adding a few elements uniquely its own.

The Woodford Reserve Distillery draws its limestone water from deep underground wells. It is the same water that nourishes the lush bluegrass and fuels powerful thoroughbreds in the surrounding area. Combined with choice corn, rye, and malted barley, the resulting sour mash is blended with a unique yeast strain that is the basis of great bourbon. This mash ferments in cypress vats up to seven days, longer than most distilleries.
Within the 1840 Still House, the sour mash is uniquely triple-distilled in copper pot stills. These pot stills were imported from Scotland and their custom design cannot be found anywhere else in the United States. These stills allow the Master Distiller to craft a spicy and flavorful whiskey in the style of Dr. Crow favored generations ago.

The spirit is matured in newly charred white oak barrels, specifically crafted for Woodford Reserve at the company’s private cooperage. These barrels give Woodford Reserve its distinctive taste and color.

Woodford Reserve’s limestone warehouses create a micro-climate where the bourbon mellows and matures day by day until our Master Distiller, Chris Morris, deems it ready to be bottled. The Master Distiller vats these barrels with barrels selected from Brown-Forman’s stocks of maturing bourbon to create the award-winning Woodford Reserve taste profile.

Perfection in People

Chris Morris, Master Distiller at the Woodford Reserve Distillery, owned by Brown-Forman Corp., continues a tradition that dates back to 1797. A Kentucky native, Morris is responsible for maintaining the award-winning profile of Woodford Reserve. Additionally, he serves as a global brand ambassador for Woodford Reserve at numerous trade and consumer functions.

Morris joined Brown-Forman in 1976 as an intern training under the Master Distiller. Morris left Brown-Forman to gain additional distillery experience at Glenmore Distilleries Company and United Distillers. He returned to Brown-Forman in 1997 and began training as the successor to the Master Distiller. Today, he is the craftsman behind Brown-Forman’s award-winning specialty bourbons.

As a spirits authority, Morris serves as a judge at the world-renowned International Wine & Spirit Competition in London. Morris also serves on the Advisory Council for the World Whiskey Conference, co-chairs the DISCUS Master Distiller’s Committee and is the only American distiller to be named a “Keeper of the Quaich” by the Scotch Whisky Association.

Discover Kentucky’s Original Spirit

In 1797, Elijah Pepper began making small batches of handcrafted whiskey in a small distillery behind the Woodford County Courthouse in Versailles, Kentucky. As Pepper’s business grew, so did his need for a larger distillery and a larger source of limestone water. In 1812, on the Grassy Springs branch of Glenn’s Creek located just outside Versailles, Pepper found what he needed.

Perfecting A Distillery And Changing An Industry

Elijah Pepper passed away in 1831, and in 1833 his son, Oscar, hired Dr. James Crow, a trained physician and chemist from Scotland, as his head distiller. Crow spent the next 29 years working at the distillery and his efforts changed the face of the American distilling industry forever.

As much a scientist as distiller, Crow perfected the sour mash fermentation process – assuring a more consistent whiskey from batch to batch – still used by all bourbon distillers today. He developed custom measuring tools which were quickly adopted by other distillers. He also pioneered the use of charred oak barrels for superior aging, a definitive standard in today’s industry.

Word of the quality bourbon produced in the distillery on Glenn’s Creek quickly spread. Devotees included Daniel Webster, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, the noted Kentucky statesman.

The passing of Oscar Pepper in 1865 eventually led to a new breed of owners. In 1878, a major Midwestern whiskey broker named Leopold Labrot and his partner, Frankfort, Kentucky, merchant James Graham, bought the now famous distillery and operated it as “The Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, Labrot & Graham Proprietors.” Expansion of the distillery continued, and the two distillers were careful to retain the unique limestone architecture in the design of their aging rackhouses. While other distillers in Kentucky used brick or tin-clad warehouses, Labrot and Graham studied the industry and found that relatively small warehouses with thick stone walls allowed their bourbon to mature smoothly and consistently over time.

Prohibition And A Renewed Spirit

In order to meet the growing post-prohibition demand, Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corp. purchased the Labrot & Graham Distillery in 1940. During the consolidations and mergers of the 1960’s, boutique distilleries, which were small and expensive to run, lost their viability and the distillery was closed.

Restoring Kentucky’s Heritage

In 1994, Brown-Forman recreated a by-gone era by repurchasing and restoring the distillery to its pre-prohibition status. The goal was to craft Kentucky’s finest bourbon at the location where its production process was perfected. Woodford Reserve was introduced in 1996 to great acclaim and is the first bourbon to win top honors at all three leading tasting competitions. In 2003 the distillery was renamed Woodford Reserve Distillery to honor its leading brand.

Today, The Woodford Reserve Distillery, a National Historic Landmark, is known throughout the world as the Homeplace of Bourbon. The picturesque site in the heart of thoroughbred country is the only place you can see Kentucky’s two most famous products – bourbon and thoroughbred horses – maturing side by side.

The Woodford Reserve Distillery has returned to its roots as a small boutique distillery and remains prouder than ever of its heritage. It is also the only distillery in the country where authentic bourbon production can be found using a consistent supply of pure, cold limestone spring water, small cypress fermentation vats, unique copper pot stills, and 19th century limestone maturation warehouses.

The result is a product with the unique quality and taste that today’s consumer of premium spirits demands – and that Elijah Pepper himself would be proud to offer. It is more than just the finest Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey produced today. It’s a rare taste of history.

Tour Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 10, 11, 1, 2, 3
Sunday 1, 2, 3 (April-October)

Location
7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, KY
(859) 879-1812

Directions from Louisville
I-64 to US 60 (Frankfort/Versailles exit). Turn right toward Versailles. Travel 2.6 miles to Route 3360 (Grassy Springs Road).  Turn right and follow this road until it ends. Turn right onto McCracken Pike.

Directions from Lexington
Take US 60 (Versailles Road) from Lexington towards Frankfort.  Shortly after passing the intersection of US 60 and State Road 1685, turn left onto Route 3360 (Grassy Springs Road). Follow this road until it ends. Turn right onto McCracken Pike.