Woodford Reserve Distillery grounds in Kentucky

Woodford Reserve Distillery: History, Owner and Range

19 hours ago

4 min read

Woodford Reserve is a premium small batch Kentucky straight bourbon made at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Woodford County, Kentucky, by Brown-Forman. The distillery was formerly the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery and later the Labrot and Graham Distillery.

At a glance

Location: about eight miles from Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky, United States
Owner: Brown-Forman Corporation
Distilling on the site since: 1812. The main structure dates from 1838
Brand introduced: 1996. Distillery renamed Woodford Reserve Distillery in 2004
Standard bottling: 45.2% ABV (90.4 US proof), each bottle carrying a batch and bottle number
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmark
Domestic sales passed one million cases in 2021

History in chapters

1812 to 1878: the Pepper years

Distilling began on the site in 1812. Elijah Pepper established the distillery and passed it to his son Oscar. James C. Crow worked there in the mid 19th century and improved and codified sour mash fermentation, pot still distillation and barrel maturation. After Oscar Pepper died in 1867 it passed to his son James E. Pepper.

1878 to 1993

The Pepper family sold the property to Leopold Labrot and James Graham in 1878. They ran it, except during Prohibition, until Brown-Forman bought it in 1941. Brown-Forman operated it until the late 1960s, then sold it with its land to a local farmer. The site has not been continuously operational.

1993 to today

Brown-Forman repurchased the property in 1993, refurbished it and brought it back into operation. The brand launched in 1996 and the distillery took its current name in 2004.

The people behind it

Elijah Pepper: founder
Oscar Pepper and James E. Pepper: later family owners
James C. Crow: worked at the distillery in the mid 19th century
Leopold Labrot and James Graham: owners from 1878
Chris Morris: master distiller from 2003 until 2023, now Master Distiller Emeritus
Elizabeth McCall: named master distiller in 2023, with Brown-Forman since 2009 and previously assistant master distiller

How it is made

The bourbon blends spirit from copper pot stills at the Woodford Reserve Distillery with column still spirit from the Brown-Forman distillery in Shively, Kentucky.

Range

Woodford Reserve Bourbon: 45.2% ABV
Double Oaked
Straight Rye, Straight Malt and Wheat Whiskey
Master's Collection and Master's Collection Batch Proof
A Kentucky only Distillery Series
An annual commemorative bottle for the brand's Kentucky Derby sponsorship
Chocolate Whisper Redux Bourbon, 2025: 139.4 proof (69.7% ABV), the brand's highest proof bourbon to date, a limited release

Wikipedia gives no ABV for the other bottlings, so check the official Woodford Reserve site.

Awards

At the San Francisco World Spirits Competition the brand won double gold in 2005 and 2013, gold in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012, and silver in 2008 and 2010. The Beverage Testing Institute scored it between 90 and 91 and Wine Enthusiast gave 90 to 95.

News and controversies

April 2024: a National Labor Relations Board judge found that Woodford Reserve engaged in unfair labor practices by timing changes in merit pay and vacation policies, and handing out bottles of whiskey, to influence a unionisation vote at its Versailles distillery
A branded bottle imprint engraved with the name of FBI director Kash Patel was reported by The Atlantic. A company spokesperson said consumers occasionally have images and messages engraved on bottles

FAQ

Who owns Woodford Reserve?

Brown-Forman.

Where is it made?

Woodford County, Kentucky, near Versailles.

What was the distillery called before?

The Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, then the Labrot and Graham Distillery.

Who is the master distiller?

Elizabeth McCall since 2023, after Chris Morris.

When did the brand launch?

1996.

Is the distillery historic?

Yes, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

What is the highest proof release?

Chocolate Whisper Redux at 139.4 proof in 2025.

What is the standard ABV?

45.2%.

What the official site adds

The official Our Story page gives the grain recipe as 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley. It states the standard Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight bourbon is 45.2% alcohol by volume, and that the distillery is in Versailles, Kentucky.

The site says the distillery site is a National Historic Landmark and that distilling first took place there in 1812. It describes water filtered naturally by limestone under the property, one of the longest fermentations in the industry with a unique yeast strain, and a batching of whiskey from pot stills and column stills. Maturation is in new, charred white oak barrels made to the distillery's own toast and char specification, in heat cycled warehouses.

The site names Elizabeth McCall as Master Distiller since 2023 and Chris Morris as Master Distiller Emeritus. It says Chris began in bourbon in 1976 and Elizabeth joined in 2009 in research and development. The page footer credits Brown-Forman as owner.

The site claims 98% of waste is recycled across operations, 97% of food scraps composted on the property, and 10 acres dedicated to native grass restoration.

Visiting, from the official site

On 20 October 2026 the site said the retail store and bar were open without reservations, and that tours and tastings need a reservation. Prices and hours were not on that page, so check before you go.

Sources

Sources: Wikipedia article on Woodford Reserve (read 19 October 2026), plus the official page listed below (read 20 October 2026).

Official source read on 20 October 2026: woodfordreserve.com/our-story.

Gaps: ABVs for the other bottlings were not opened. The official page does not say where the column still whiskey is made, so the Shively detail still rests on Wikipedia. Tour prices and hours were not shown.