OHLQ Announces Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrel - Buckeye Blend #5

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ) has announced the release of twelve batches of a special Woodford Reserve Blend called Buckeye Blend #5 appearing in stores this week (week of July 11th) at a price of $49.99 plus tax. As far as I can tell, this is just smaller blends of regular Woodford that is being sold at a premium price (these are 1 liter bottles... regular liter price is $43.99 + tax). 

The tasting notes for the twelve batches are (all come in at 90.4 proof (45.2% alcohol)):

• Batch #WR205522 - Apricot and peach on the nose; woody toast and rye spice with long chocolate on the finish
  
  
• Batch #WR205523 - Floral nose with hints of brown sugar and caramel; sweet notes on the palate with low spice 
  
  
• Batch #WR205524 - Dried fruit on the nose with tart fruit and some honey on the palate and peppermint on the finish 
  
  
• Batch #WR205525 - Floral notes on the nose; brown sugar and spice on the palate 
  
  
• Batch #WR205526 - Smoky oak notes and cinnamon on the nose; earthy-herbal fruit notes on the palate with a lingering finish 
  
  
• Batch #WR205527 - Floral nose with hints of pine wood; brown sugar stands out on the palate with a medium finish 
  
  
• Batch #WR205528 - Vanilla and cherry notes on the nose; brown sugar and nutty on the palate; spicy finish 
  
  
• Batch #WR205529 - A lighter touch all around; cherry on the nose; light pepper and oak on the palate 
  
  
• Batch #WR205530 - Bold flavors; apple & white pepper on the nose; dark chocolate and orange on the palate with a long soft finish
  
  
• Batch #WR205531 - Classic bourbon flavor; sweet brown sugar nose; pecan, brown sugar, baking spices on the palate; long oaky finish 
  
  
• Batch #WR205532 - Heavy cherry notes on the nose; cherry and vanilla on the palate 
  
  
• Batch #WR205533 - Floral nose with a lighter malt on the palate

It is not known how many bottles make up each batch. To locate a bottle, you can use the OHLQ bottle finder.

My Take

This seems like a giant cash grab by Woodford and the State of Ohio. This release is basically a smaller batch blend of regular Woodford Reserve. Don't get me wrong... Woodford is my favorite bourbon, but this release doesn't excite me. Perhaps if I knew something about how the batches were chosen or the reasoning behind it... however, without that... this seems like a few barrels were thrown together in a release so they can try to create excitement and charge and extra 14% more.

What do you think? Drop a note in the comments below. 

Source: OHLQ