Our Woodford Reserve whiskey barrel has arrived from Louisville, Kentucky filled with our custom-blended Private Selection No.1 Bourbon! Purchase it now by the 1-liter bottle via *Toast or in-person for $60. You can also sip it in a cocktail with our Private Selection Perfect Manhattan available now in the Café
Woodford Reserve Ray’s Private Selection No. 1 – $60
One-liter bottle
Proof: 90.4 (45.2% ABV)
Nose: Orange peel, leather, cherry-soaked oak, fruitcake. Alcohol is present but in balance.
Palette: Honey graham crackers, caramel, toffee.
Finish: Long, rich and decadent.
Private Selection Perfect Manhattan – $16
Woodford Reserve ‘Ray’s Private Selection No.1’ bourbon, Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth, Dolin dry vermouth, Angostura bitters, served up with a house-made brandied cherry.
How Our Custom Whiskey Got Here
Our GM and Co-Owner Doug Zellers, Ray’s Wine Director Chip Croteau and Manager Emmett Niland visited the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Louisville in late winter 2020 to taste and hand-select the blends to create Ray’s own custom bourbon.
Traveling from downtown Louisville took them through picturesque country landscapes complete with horse farms and beautiful scenery. Upon arrival, the team was greeted with incredible hospitality from Brown Forman and the team at Woodford Reserve. They were taken on an exhilarating tour of the grounds, admiring the historic landmark that has been making and aging whiskey since 1812.
After a tour of the grounds, distillery and rickhouses where the barrels live while they age, they began the tasting and selection process.
Woodford Reserve whiskey is crafted from a grain recipe of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. This recipe balances the sweetness of corn with the spice of rye, and the nuttiness of malt to build the base for an incredibly flavorful bourbon!
They started the tasting with four different single-barrel samples, all pulled directly from the barrel with proofs ranging from 130-140! After the tasting, they chose their least favorite of the four and eliminated it.
Woodford’s master taster then created three blends; each blend comprised of two barrels. Our team blind-tasted the samples of these three blends and chose the favorite. The ultimate decision was meant-to-be as it happened to be the blend compromised of the two best-liked single barrels from the initial tasting of four. Thus, Ray’s Woodford Reserve Private Selection No. 1 Bourbon was born!
It was a dream come true for our team to create a custom bourbon and age it in a personalized Ray’s barrel! Each barrel matures at its own rate, so this is a truly unique whiskey unlike any other.
Purchase a bottle for home or gifting or enjoy a cocktail at Ray’s of this limited-time bourbon, available while supplies last!
*Please note that per Washington State law you must purchase food when you order bottles of liquor or cocktails to-go.
