Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon

Nose: Ethanol, caramel, oak char, cinnamon Palate: caramel, cinnamon, fell relatively flat Finish: light honey, honeysuckle, dusting of baking spice

Willett gripe - this was part of a flight and I didn’t see if this was the sourced/blended vs 100% Willett distilled that’s becoming more abundant. Are the new and old offerings noticeably different? That I cannot say. This pour smells like a rye roll tossed with chalky Tums. There’s not a whole lot going on but it’s certainly not the traditional corn sweetness of more classic bourbon offerings (ie. Vanilla, spice +/- nuts). On the mouth it is incredibly soft and light bodied. The finish is short and unsurprising. Palate overall matches the nose. This drinks like a young 30-40% rye. The most simile thing I can think of is WR rye but with a bit more character. There is supposedly a 52/38/10 mash bill from Willett per Bourbonor.com that would align with what I think I’m getting but who knows. If you like this then you’ll like Willett. If you hate this then don’t chase $1000+ bottles of family estate.

Very sweet. Can taste some rye but not too much. Tastes like candy (maple syrup?). I like it but there are better low rye bourbons for the price. The bottle is unique. That’s trivial to most but I appreciate the packaging.

It is with a heavy heart and an unsteady hand that I retaste this whiskey that was crucial in my palate’s formative days. Without Willett’s hot tasting room lady helping me pick out new flavors, I don’t know that I would care for bourbon today. I really want to think this is great. 2 years ago, I gave this 5 stars. Nose has peanuts, honeysuckle, sugar, oak, lemon, toffee, dill pickle. That pickle thing through me for a loop, but I can’t unsmell it now. Body is very bitter, but not in a bad way. There’s milk chocolate, coffee, caramel, leather. This is like a delicious desert. Very bourbon standard, and solid. Finish is salty, with pepper and mild cinnamon. Bit of dust. The overall vibe is a desert drink. I’m getting chocolate-covered peanuts, praline, a cookie you dropped on the floor of your grammas basement, etc. This is no longer my flavor profile of choice, but I still think it’s well done. I don’t think my notes 2 years ago were leagues off on their content, but my enthusiasm was a bit over the top. It’s fine, but nowadays if I want these flavors, I’d probably look to certain siblings that do them better. Looking at you Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek, a 4 pack of ice spheres and an evening that’s welcoming to bad decision making.