Woodford Reserve ("Tier 1") scoring category. The Woodford Reserve Distillery offers tours and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail promotional programs. In a contract arrangement with Churchill Downs, Woodford Reserve has been declared the "official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby" and is used in a $1,000 mint julep cocktail that is sold to patrons on Derby Day. (Although Woodford Reserve is the Derby's "official bourbon", its sister brand Old Forester serves mint juleps as the "official drink" and is featured in the more moderately priced juleps served at the event.) Woodford Reserve Woodford Reserve is a
Robert Hess (cocktail expert) Robert Hess (cocktail expert) Robert B. Hess is a cocktail expert, a co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, and a technology evangelist for Microsoft. Hess is the author of "The Essential Bartender's Guide: How to Make Truly Great Cocktails" published by Mud Puddle Books in 2008. He is also the host of "The Cocktail Spirit," an online video series published by the Small Screen Network. In late 2008, Hess, along with several other well-known cocktail personalities, founded The Chanticleer Society, a "Worldwide Organization of Cocktail Enthusiasts." Hess also writes a column entitled "Classic Cocktails" for the bi-monthly fine