Willett Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel – Rub the bottle and wish for good bourbon…

It’s been a while since we've spit out a review on this bourbon blog. Walter White is dead, the Hoffman crew spent a season in the jungle and Game of Thrones is about to start back up. There are a couple reasons for the limited activity here.  First, I found a couple bourbons that I absolutely enjoyed, so every time I went to buy a bottle, I spent my cash on something I knew I’d like.  Second, Matt and I went on a film-making binge which consumed most of our creative time. Check some of it out at www.onelungers.com.

Now, on to the whiskey! When I have a glass of bourbon at night, I sometimes like to pop a batch of popcorn to compliment my drink. You may ask, “What the hell does popcorn have to do with bourbon?”  Wait, there’s a payoff for this story (not a great one but a payoff nonetheless). So I was checking out the bourbon selection at one of my favorite liquor stores when I noticed an odd shaped bottle on the top shelf. Upon closer inspection, I found it to be Willett Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel, which I had heard of, but never tried. When I say odd shaped, the thing is shaped like a copper pot still. However when presented in glass, it looks like a damn genie bottle. In fact, at my house it’s referred to as the genie bottle and not Willett.

The interesting thing about this bourbon is the pour.  When you pour from the genie bottle it makes some great sounds. Something about it makes me laugh every time I hear it and I almost want to drink it for that sound alone. Unfortunately you lose that piece of the experience as the bottle empties. It has a mellow smell with nothing in particular jumping out at me. At first taste you get hit with some caramel that fades quickly and then turns into an odd popcorn flavor at the end. The first time I tried this I thought it was okay. By the end of that first glass, I was unimpressed.  I put it on the shelf and have tried it a few times since then and something about the finishing taste really turns me off. Apparently I love popcorn with my bourbon but I don’t want my bourbon to taste like popcorn. I've has a few of my fellow bourbon loving friends drink from the genie bottle and they love it.  To each his own!

Taste: Caramel sweetness with a strange popcorn finish

Price: $40

Purchase Again: No