ContemplativeFox
Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
August 13, 2020 (edited January 24, 2021)
Rating: 15/23
The nose is fruity with cardboard. It has that young sweet moonshine smell. There's a bit of something interestingly herbal in here, though the less appealing flavors beat it out. The palate has some interesting toasty richness going on that comes with some nice sweetness and questionably nice oily nuttiness, but it also has those young and mineral notes. It isn't terribly harsh, but it is persistently moderately harsh - for a time well beyond when most other bourbons stop being harsh. The flavors gradually come out more, revealing more complexity and making me appreciate this more. There are some floral hints that are odd for a bourbon but that I find surprisingly nice. This is better than Buffalo Trace and is drinkable enough, but some alcohol flavor does come through more than I'd like and the flavor is generally on the more mineral side. The floral flavor does help to counter that though with some more notion of scotch coming through. It's interesting and is actually pretty drinkable, but you have to be looking for a less traditional bourbon. It's interesting and easy drinking, though it does have some bit of cardboard to it along with the mineral. I enjoy it pretty well, though it isn't my usual style of bourbon. Still, how can I say no to more scotch notes in my bourbon. The moonshine fruitiness reminds me of a less aggressive Old Forester Signature, but that is just one component of this bourbon. I appreciate this after warming up to it. It's kind of like a Japanese whiskey. I keep coming back to St. George B&E American in terms of odd character of the flavor profile. It's sort of good, but odd in ways that keeps it interesting yet also keep it from being terrific.
40.0
USD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@ContemplativeFox do you know if this bottle was distilled and aged by Willett or still from their sourced years? I had this years ago and my memory aligns with your notes - not bad, somewhat good but in no way great. Per my ongoing Willett rant I’m afraid their own, non-rye distillate doesn’t live up to the hype.
Honestly, reading this tasting now, it reads more like a 13 or 14 to me. I gave it a 15 when I tasted it though, so I'm deferring to that.