Over the past couple of years, I’ve picked up 11 bottles of double-oaked bourbon. Or, in the case of a couple of bottles, triple- and quad-oaked bourbon.
I’ve done one of these double-oaked blinds before, but this time I decided to go all in. I wanted to taste all 11 bottles and figure out which ones are truly remarkable, and which ones just spent some extra time in a second barrel.
For this process, I used 11 numbered sample bottles. I randomized the original bottles, randomly placed them into the numbered bottles, and then mixed those bottles into a new order. In other words, I had no clue which bourbon I was tasting, but I preserved the order so I could sort it all out once the process was finished.
Yes, 11 bottles is a lot.
It’s a tough job, but I think I can handle it.
The 11 bottles were:
- Bondstone Heritage Reserve Quad Oak
- Lucky 7 The Holiday Toast
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
- Bondstone Limited Release Triple Oak
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Father’s Day Selection B
- Old Forester 117 Series 1910 Extra Extra Old
- Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak
- Bondstone Double Oak Cask Strength
- Old Forester 1910
- Jim Beam Double Oak
- Kentucky Credential Double Oak
Bottle A
Color – Beautiful mahogany.
Nose – Toasted oak, toasted nuts, dark chocolate and cardamom.
Palate – Cardamom and cinnamon early, followed by dark chocolate, oak and citrus.
Mouthfeel – Just shy of creamy.
Finish – Very nice. The toasted oak and chocolate lead the baking spice, and the mix lingers much longer than expected.
Overall impression – Not amazing, but definitely better than average. It’s not as dessert-forward as I prefer, but it’s a tasty dram to start the blind.
Score – 86.58
Bottle B
Color – Deep amber.
Nose – A little proof-forward, followed by oak, caramel, vanilla and nutmeg.
Palate – Nicely sweet. Honey, buttery toffee, light oak, caramel and baking spice.
Mouthfeel – Again, just short of creamy.
Finish – Once again, better than expected. Not as long as the first finish, but the baking spice, oak and toffee hold on well.
Overall impression – Another good dram. I doubt I’ll have a bad one, but some will be better than others. This one doesn’t match Bottle A, but it’s a solid sipper.
Score – 79.86
Bottle C
Color – Rich mahogany.
Nose – Beautiful. Chocolate, buttery toffee and nutmeg, with toasted oak and cherries toward the back.
Palate – The oak comes in early, but is quickly replaced by rich chocolate, baking spice, cherries and toffee.
Mouthfeel – Lighter than expected, but not terrible.
Finish – Again, lighter than expected. The cherries and chocolate lead the oak and spice.
Overall impression – We’re moving toward dessert, and the nose told me this was a contender, but the mouthfeel and finish fell short of great. Still, this is a tasty sipper and the leader in the clubhouse so far.
Score – 86.69
Bottle D
Color – Rich mahogany.
Nose – Savory and even a little bitter, maybe. I think there’s perhaps an over-oaked nose here, with some chocolate and baking spice trailing behind.
Palate – Nutmeg and toasted oak early, but then a wealth of chocolate, brown sugar and a touch of red fruit.
Mouthfeel – OK, but a little thin.
Finish – Good, but not great. The chocolate and baking spice lead the oak and brown sugar.
Overall impression – A little disappointing after the fake-out from the color. Note to self: great color does not always mean amazing bourbon. It’s still decent, but it’s not the winner.
Score – 83.44
Bottle E
Color – Rich mahogany.
Nose – Toasted oak dominates in a good way. A little proof and nutmeg follow, along with some dark chocolate.
Palate – Sweet brown sugar jumps up first, followed by cinnamon, cherries and chocolate.
Mouthfeel – Lightly creamy.
Finish – Very nice. Cherries, chocolate and nutmeg, with just a hint of oak.
Overall impression – Before looking at the score, this felt like the best one so far. I can totally picture this in my glass while I’m enjoying a great cigar on the porch while the day releases its heat into the night.
Score – 86.91
Bottle F
Color – Light mahogany.
Nose – Lighter than expected, with a bit of proof up front. Chocolate, nutmeg and cherries follow.
Palate – Chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel and brown sugar.
Mouthfeel – Lightly oily.
Finish – A little quick, but still tasty. The chocolate, brown sugar and baking spice dominate.
Overall impression – We’re getting to dessert in a glass. This one will sip easily any day, or night, of the week.
Score – 86.15
Bottle G
Color – Mid-copper.
Nose – Toasted oak, dark chocolate, caramel and nutmeg.
Palate – Cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, toasted oak, tart cherries and citrus zest.
Mouthfeel – OK, but shy of creamy.
Finish – Lingers nicely. Tart cherries, cinnamon and toffee.
Overall impression – Not the best, but maybe the most balanced of the bunch. Not the strongest in any one area, but really good in every area. I’m looking forward to seeing what this one is.
Score – 85.82
Bottle H
Color – Light mahogany.
Nose – Rich chocolate, toasted oak, nutmeg and light red fruit.
Palate – Sweet cinnamon, brown sugar, dark chocolate, toffee and tart cherries.
Mouthfeel – A little thin, but not terrible.
Finish – Tart cherries, oak, chocolate and baking spice.
Overall impression – This is a delicious dram. Aside from the thinner-than-expected finish, it was close to perfect.
Score – 87.02
Bottle I
Color – Light mahogany.
Nose – Wonderful. Rich chocolate, buttery toffee, nutmeg and ripe red fruit.
Palate – Spice jumps up quickly. I’m guessing there’s proof here, but what I notice more quickly is brown sugar and cinnamon, chocolate-covered cherries, nutmeg and caramel.
Mouthfeel – Lightly creamy.
Finish – The dryness of the oak gets a little bit in the way here, and it’s not the longest lasting finish, but the flavors are solid: brown sugar, cherries and chocolate.
Overall impression – We may have a winner. This is definitely dessert in a glass. Sweet, somewhat thick and full of rich flavors. I can’t wait to unveil this bottle.
Score – 88.21
Bottle J
Color – Rich mahogany.
Nose – Toasted oak, a touch of ethanol, chocolate, cherries and nutmeg.
Palate – The oak is definitely there, but so are chocolate, toffee and tart cherries.
Mouthfeel – Probably the best so far. Nicely creamy.
Finish – Tart oak and tart cherries, toffee and a hint of cinnamon.
Overall impression – I don’t know if this will be the best of the bunch, but it’s in the running. There are definitely dessert vibes here.
Score – 87.67
Bottle K
Color – Light copper.
Nose – Toasted oak, dusty peanuts, light caramel and vanilla, and maybe some nutmeg.
Palate – Brown sugar, buttery toffee, vanilla, caramel and a touch of red fruit.
Mouthfeel – Borderline creamy.
Finish – Dry, tart oak, baking spice, vanilla and caramel.
Overall impression – This will not win, but based on the color, I didn’t expect much. It definitely exceeded expectations and deserves a place on my shelf.
Score – 81.81
The Reveal
A – Lucky 7 The Holiday Toast
B – Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak
C – Old Forester 1910
D – Old Forester 117 Series 1910 Extra Extra Old
E – Bondstone Double Oak Cask Strength
F – Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
G – Kentucky Credential Double Oak
H – Bondstone Heritage Reserve Quad Oak
I – Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Father’s Day Selection B
J – Bondstone Limited Release Triple Oak
K – Jim Beam Double Oak
Finish Order
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Father’s Day Selection B
- Bondstone Limited Release Triple Oak
- Bondstone Heritage Reserve Quad Oak
- Bondstone Double Oak Cask Strength
- Old Forester 1910
- Lucky 7 The Holiday Toast
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
- Kentucky Credential Double Oak
- Old Forester 117 Series 1910 Extra Extra Old
- Jim Beam Double Oak
- Buzzard’s Roost Signature Double Oak
Final Impressions
There are no losers here.
There are only bigger winners.
Every bottle in this blind can be sipped and enjoyed. But it’s also clear that Total Wine’s Bondstone knows a thing or two about double-oaked, triple-oaked and quad-oaked bourbons. Three of the top four were Bondstones, which is pretty impressive.
But the big winner was the double-oak that most people have already been falling for: Woodford Reserve.
The champion bottle was a Father’s Day selection I picked up at the distillery, although it wasn’t the people’s choice. That one — Selection C — sold out quickly, presumably because people loved the tart oak. I loved the dessert flavors of Selection B, and I’ll be guarding that bottle carefully because it can’t be replaced.
The other big discoveries:
The Old Forester 1910 did better — much better — than the 117 Series 1910 Extra Extra Old. That’s probably an anomaly, but it’s also proof that bourbons don’t hit everyone equally all the time. Tomorrow, I might like the 117 better. But today, the original stood tall.
Lucky 7 makes some great finished bourbons. The Holiday Toast is more than worth the $60 or so you’ll pay for it.
Woodford Double Oaked didn’t win, but consider that it didn’t finish far behind and it costs about $60 every day. That’s a bottle almost anyone can find, and it continues to justify its reputation.
You’ll only find Kentucky Credential at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, at least in Florida, but if you find it, it’s a Bourbon Cheapskate bottle that earns its place on the shelf.
The bottom two were predictable in different ways. Jim Beam Double Oak runs about $20, so it’s the bargain hero in this bunch, and it wasn’t half bad. But it’s also made more cheaply, and those differences showed up.
The biggest disappointment was Buzzard’s Roost. It’s not cheap, and it should be better than it is. It’s not bad. It’s not even terrible. But for the $50 to $60 you’ll pay, you want something that competes with the others on this list.
It didn’t.
And in a blind with this much toasted oak, chocolate, cherry, brown sugar and baking spice, the good ones don’t just spend more time in wood.
They make that extra time count.
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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
