Description
Willet Pot Still Cask Strength Reserve Bourbon is the undiluted, single-barrel version of the bourbon that lives in American whiskey’s most recognizable decanter. Where the standard 94-proof bottling is smoothed down to a fixed strength, this one goes into the bottle at whatever proof the barrel gave up, which makes it the pick for the drinker who already knows the regular Pot Still Reserve and wants it louder.
Process & Profile
Willett distills in Bardstown, Kentucky, on the farm site Thompson Willett opened in 1936 and where the family has been filling Warehouse A since St. Patrick’s Day, 1937. The mash bill is wheated rather than rye-forward: 65% corn, 20% wheat, 15% malted barley, fermented with a proprietary yeast strain the distillery has never disclosed, in 10,000-gallon fermenters. Maturation is in 100% new charred white oak. The standard Pot Still Reserve lands at 94 proof / 47% ABV; the cask strength expression is drawn from individually selected barrels and bottled without dilution, so the proof moves barrel to barrel and the producer does not publish a single fixed bottling strength.
On the nose, toasted corn and custard vanilla come first, then candied lemon peel, dark caramel, toasted coconut, and a resinous new-oak note that reads almost like cedar shavings at full proof.
On the palate, black pepper arrives ahead of everything else, followed by burnt orange rind, brown sugar, dried cherry, cinnamon bark, and the faint mintiness the 20% wheat tends to leave behind.
The finish is long and dry-sweet, closing on oak tannin and mint chocolate, with a cask-strength heat that keeps building rather than fading.
The bottle itself is part of the story. Willett released the first Pot Still Reserve in 2008 in a decanter modeled on the blueprints of the distillery’s original still, four years before the family actually installed a working copper pot still on the production floor in 2012 and moved the whiskey from sourced stock to fully in-house distillate. Even Kulsveen and Martha Willett Kulsveen bought the business from Thompson Willett in 1984 and ran it for decades as independent bottler Kentucky Bourbon Distillers; their son Drew is now master distiller. The cask strength release sits above the standard Pot Still Reserve in the same lineup that includes Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek, and Johnny Drum.
Serve neat in a Glencairn and give it five minutes open before nosing, then add still water a few drops at a time. It also stands up to an old fashioned better than most bottles at this price, where the orange peel garnish meets the whiskey’s own citrus bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this whisky?
A single-barrel, undiluted Kentucky straight bourbon from Willett Distillery in Bardstown, bottled in the brand’s signature pot still decanter.
What are the specs?
750mL, wheated mash bill of 65% corn / 20% wheat / 15% malted barley, aged in new charred white oak. Because each release is a single barrel bottled at full strength, the proof varies by barrel and Willett does not publish a fixed number; the standard Pot Still Reserve for comparison is 94 proof (47% ABV).
What does it taste like?
Toasted corn, vanilla, candied lemon, and coconut on the nose; black pepper, burnt orange, brown sugar, and cinnamon on the palate; a long oak-and-mint-chocolate finish with real cask-strength heat.
How should you enjoy it?
Neat in a Glencairn, then add water drop by drop until the citrus and spice open up.
Why is this release notable?
It is the full-proof, one-barrel-at-a-time version of Willett’s best-known bottle, so each batch is finite and no two barrels taste quite the same.
