Starting at the beginning...when I saw this bottle in the store, I knew I had to have it. Well, if it was at all reasonably priced and was not from a company with a bad reputation, I had to have it! What I got for around $35 was a bottle of Willett Pot Still Reserve, specifically bottle number 67 of 276 total bottles from barrel number 3671. According to the little tag hanging on the bottle, the Willett family has been involved in distiller spirits throughout the northeast since the early days of America, and in Kentucky since the very earliest days of pioneering. The bottle resembles a pot still, which is what they use for this whiskey, as opposed to the column stills that are prevalent in the bourbon industry (pot stills are much more likely to be used for Scotch Whisky, though).
In the glass, the Willett's Bourbon was a standard amber color and had an aroma of corn sweetness, vanilla and oak. I found it to be a very smooth, sweet dram that had a note of vanilla at the tip of the tongue, that sweet corn liquor flavor in the middle and a finish with a touch of spice and the sting of evaporating alcohol vapors. I've notes sweetness three times in two sentences, so you should assume it is a sweet bourbon, but that is not all that unusual as bourbon's primary ingredient is corn; this seemed to not have the same level of sweetness as, say, Maker's Mark. Instead it was better balanced with oak and vanilla notes coming through and just a touch of spice. I thoroughly enjoyed the Willett with every cigar I paired it with, finding it to have the necessary body and complexity to pair with a wide variety of blends.
Willett is bottled at 94 proof, nearly splitting the difference between the standard 80 proof and some stronger spirits like Wild Turkey 101 or some of the other single barrel or barrel proof items on the market. The price is higher than the mass market drinks on your local shop's shelves, but still quite a bit lower than Booker or some of the super-ultra-premium bottles. I call it a good find and a great tasting bourbon...and the bottle is extremely cool, too!
In the glass, the Willett's Bourbon was a standard amber color and had an aroma of corn sweetness, vanilla and oak. I found it to be a very smooth, sweet dram that had a note of vanilla at the tip of the tongue, that sweet corn liquor flavor in the middle and a finish with a touch of spice and the sting of evaporating alcohol vapors. I've notes sweetness three times in two sentences, so you should assume it is a sweet bourbon, but that is not all that unusual as bourbon's primary ingredient is corn; this seemed to not have the same level of sweetness as, say, Maker's Mark. Instead it was better balanced with oak and vanilla notes coming through and just a touch of spice. I thoroughly enjoyed the Willett with every cigar I paired it with, finding it to have the necessary body and complexity to pair with a wide variety of blends.
Willett is bottled at 94 proof, nearly splitting the difference between the standard 80 proof and some stronger spirits like Wild Turkey 101 or some of the other single barrel or barrel proof items on the market. The price is higher than the mass market drinks on your local shop's shelves, but still quite a bit lower than Booker or some of the super-ultra-premium bottles. I call it a good find and a great tasting bourbon...and the bottle is extremely cool, too!
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