Welcome the rise of the Bourbon, South Africa. The movement is growing and we are finding Bourbon popping up in cocktails and drinks around the country and in some of Joburg’s top bars more and more frequently.

This may be due to the fact that Woodford Reserve is pioneering a new path for their beverages and in partnership with international Old Fashioned Week, they bring us the Woodford Bourbon Trail campaign which is going on a search to find the best Old Fashioned cocktail in Cape Town and Johannesburg. What’s not to love?

Woodford is particularly suited to the Old Fashioned, a classic American Bourbon cocktail steeped in history. The recipe was said to have been invented by a bartender in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky, in honor of a prominent bourbon distiller who brought it to the internationally acclaimed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

With the expert assistance of Master Brand Mixologists Marson Strydom and Ntando Ngema, the Woodford Bourbon Trail has recruited the best bartenders in the country to showcase their talents through the creation of first-class Woodford Old Fashioned cocktails – with a twist.

The ‘trail’ starts off on 5th November and Cape Town and Johannesburg’s finest bars will be participating for the title in which a judging panel will taste and rate the cocktails according to an international base Score Weighting System.

Each Old Fashioned cocktail will be crafted using Woodford Reserve bourbon, brown sugar, bitters and orange zest with a twist suited to the style of each bartender.

The winning bars in Cape Town and Johannesburg will go head-to-head in a national Bourbon Brawl finale taking place on 27 November 2018. Check out the list of participating bars at the end of this article.

Woodford Reserve is a super-premium, small-batch craft bourbon following the traditional method of distillation to produce bourbon of exceptional quality. Woodford Reserve isn’t manufactured; it’s crafted in small batches.

The art of making fine bourbon first took place at Woodford Reserve in 1780, making the distillery one of Kentucky’s oldest and smallest.

Due to continuous innovation and new expressions developed by distillers, the Bourbon industry has seen unprecedented growth around the world. Although South African whiskeys are of a very high caliber, Woodford Reserve aims to revolutionize the bourbon movement through their annual Woodford Bourbon Trail.

Cape Town Bars…

The Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront Front
One & Only Hotel
Burger & Lobster
Cause & Effect
Orphanage Cocktail Emporium
The Station
Arcade
Souk
The Twankey Bar
HQ
SoCal
Harringtons

Joburg Bars…

Sin & Tax

Marble Restaurant
Mesh Club
Saint
The Landmark
Marabi Club
Hemmingways Bar

Woodford Reserve bourbons are available at Makro and all good liquor stores countrywide and range in price from R 499 to R 699.

For more information on Woodford Reserve, visit them online…

Drink responsibly, and always uber if you are going to be drinking. Not for sale to anyone under the age of 18 years.