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Willett’s Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Review

Willett's Single Barrel Reserve comes in a stunning bottle shaped like a still, but does this premium bourbon's taste match its eye-catching presentation? This review explores the nose, palate, and finish to find out.

OVERALL RATING

7
$94
  • Jade Cox is a distiller at the up-and-coming CrownWorks Distillery, passionate about Bourbon, Irish whiskey, and all things creative, from music to illustration.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Willett’s is a distillery that’s no stranger to high-end bourbon. This is a brand with some real style when it comes to presenting their drams, with the bottle for today’s discussion being a fantastic example of that; Willett’s Single Barrel Reserve comes in this drop-dead gorgeous bottle, designed to resemble the stills the bourbon itself is made in. It truly is an amazing piece to have just for the eye-catching bottle alone!

Willett’s does have history to back up its good looks, however. The Willett family’s experience in the trade goes all the way back to the founding of Kentucky as a state in 1792! Despite this, the family wouldn’t own their own distillery until 1936, but once it was theirs, it was a booming business! Rough finances in the 1980s caused the distillery to close; however, it was brought back to us in 2012, which is why we can have our hands on this bottle today!

Now I’ve tried a bottle from Willett’s family of spirits before, that being Rowan’s Creek. The bottle was ok, but I felt like it could be improved. Let’s see if Willett’s main showing is just glitz and glamour, or if it can back it up with true quality!
Appearance:
Darker Muscat, akin to burnt amber
Nose:
Initially has quite a strong, sweet toffee smell, but over time develops to quite a fruity aroma. Crisp green apple with it’s slight sour twang, juicy pear to mellow out the otherwise tart apple, and finally a subtle honeydew undertone round us off. Overall a very sweet nosing!
Palate:
Sharp, spicy front with a hint of clove; hits harder than you’d expect after the smell! Slightly buttery undertone helps soothe the intense front.
Finish:
Buttered popcorn with lightly toasted oak, topped off with gentle warming sensation on the way down. Clings nicely to the mouth all round.
Comments:
This was honestly a lot simpler that I thought it might be, but that’s by no means a bad thing. The smell certainly misleads you where the flavour is going, but I like that sort of complexity in a bourbon! The front is quite sharp and a little dry for those who prefer a sweeter bourbon, but I could certainly see people who like a bit of bite in their bourbon getting a kick out of this! After all, there is a undertone of buttery goodness to help prevent the palate from going too far into the bitterness.

This is a drink for a person who enjoys a high quality bourbon that’s not too overwhelming but has a bit of an edge to it. The price does unfortunately lock a good few people out of trying it, and I think that’s a shame. Part of me wonders if this dram’s price is higher than it should be to account for that beautiful bottle, but I suppose we’d never know either way. Personally I think this is a good Bourbon, no two ways about it! It’s just a little pricey if you’re purely looking at the liquid like I am. If you want to pay the price for that bottle to stand proud on your mantle, then all the power to you! I just think, whiskey-wise, there is better value for money if this flavour is what you’re after.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Jade Cox

Jade Cox is an up-and-coming distiller at the new CrownWorks Distillery in the Midlands, as well as a passionate spirits reviewer, and OurWhisky Foundation graduate. Jade has a particular fondness for Bourbon and Irish whiskey, as she feels it embodies her philosophy for life perfectly: “All good things are a perfect blend of proven theory and bold experimentation”.

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