Brought to you by Woodford Reserve

This August, we’re on the hunt for the best Old Fashioned cocktail in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

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

Woodford Reserve bourbon crafted carefully. Photo supplied.

The judges will taste and rate Old Fashioned cocktails from seventeen top end bars. The participating bars in Johannesburg include Marble Restaurant, The Landmark Cocktail Bar, Sin + Tax, The Grillhouse Sandton and Social on Main, and the bars in Cape Town include The Gin Bar, Orphanage Cocktail Emporium, Arcade, Burger & Lobster, BARDOUGH, Sea Street Bar at the Radisson, The Twankey Bar, Primal Eatery, Villa 47, HQ and The Crazy Horse.

An old fashioned cocktail being poured. Photo supplied.

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 be awarded the title of ‘The best Woodford Old Fashioned Cocktail Bar’, in addition to media exposure.

Woodford Reserve bourbon has a rich, rounded and smooth taste. Photo supplied.

Woodford Reserve is a super-premium, small-batch craft bourbon that is appreciated by the most discerning whiskey palates around the world. Woodford’s numerous international awards bear testament to the care that goes into each hand-crafted bottle, as you’d expect from the oldest distiller in operation in Kentucky, USA.

Woodford Reserve has a silky smooth finish. Photo supplied.

Brilliant honey amber in appearance, Woodford Reserve Bourbon is heavy with rich dried fruit, hints of mint, oranges, cocoa, vanilla and tobacco spice on the nose, with a rich, chewy, rounded and smooth taste. Complex citrus, cinnamon, cocoa, toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes are prominent on the tongue, with a silky smooth finish.

Each Old Fashioned cocktail will be crafted using Woodford Reserve bourbon. Photo supplied.

Stand the chance to win. Enter here to win an Old Fashioned cocktail kit worth R2500.

Woodford Reserve’s Cape Town Bourbon Trail

Find your own Woodford Old Fashioned at the participating bars below.

Woodford Reserve’s Joburg Bourbon Trail

Replicate our search at the participating bars below.