In the heart of Kentucky bourbon country, the Woodford Reserve Distillery occupies a historic site in Versailles, where father and son Elijah and Oscar Pepper and their master distiller, Dr. James Crow, created 19th-century bourbon that defined the spirit. Today, the master distiller is Chris Morris, and the Brown-Forman company launched the Woodford Reserve brand in 1996. It’s still defining what good whiskey is all about, crafting bourbon and rye in the artisanal way, in small batches.

Woodford whiskeys have won gold medals at competitions such as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the World Whiskies Awards. In addition, the Master’s Collection includes limited issues that experiment in flavors, such as the Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish (mature Woodford Reserve is finished in freshly emptied Pinot Noir barrels) and the Four Wood Selection (mature bourbon, matured in American oak and finished in barrels of maple wood, sherry wood, and port wood).