Willett – Pot Still Reserve (70cl, 47%)

This is a small batch straight bourbon from Willett in Bardstown, Kentucky, bottled at 47% ABV in a 70cl bottle shaped like the pot still that Vendome Copper and Brass built for the distillery. The mash bill is 65% corn, 20% wheat and 15% barley, so wheat rather than rye sits alongside the corn. The bourbon matures for four to six years in new American oak barrels with a number 4 char, and it is non-chill-filtered with no added colouring. The nose brings vanilla and caramelised sugar with tapioca, thyme and lemon cake. The palate recalls lemon poppy seed cake, slightly dusty, with caramel, vanilla, spice and citrus. The finish is long, with hints of cane sugar and coffee.