Las Vegas: MGM resorts offer whiskey drinkers specialty shots

Attention, whiskey buffs: The MGM Grand in Las Vegas has recently purchased a single barrel of Woodford Reserve that will be available starting later this month in the property’s restaurants and bars.

All 228 bottles carry labels stating that the Woodford Reserve was selected exclusively for the MGM Grand. It is part of MGM Resorts’ expanding effort to provide “personalized spirits” to customers seeking “an exclusive experience,” said Dan Adams, director of food and beverage at the MGM Grand.

Earlier this year, Adams and a team traveled to Versailles, Ky., to sip samples from three barrels at the distillery. After the tasting, they selected a double-oaked bourbon that had been aged nearly seven years in two charred oak barrels.

“We were looking for something that was a little more fruity and a little less woody,” Adams said.

Shots will cost $15. The bourbon will also be showcased in specialty cocktails created by the winners of a contest among the MGM Grand bar staff.

Other unique whiskeys are already available at other MGM Resorts properties.

Aria is selling a custom Woodford Reserve blended from two barrels.

At the Monte Carlo, shots from a single barrel of Knob Creek bourbon are offered. A news release described the liquor as having “dark chocolate flavors interwoven with rich hot cocoa, black walnut and fudge.”

Guests at the Mirage can choose to sip from a single-barrel personal selection of Jack Daniel’s. (Because it is distilled in Tennessee, not Kentucky, it can’t -- by law -- be called “bourbon.”)

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