Is Willett Pot Still Bourbon That Bad? What's On The Shelf Wednesday 

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The 4 yr Rye makes a great Manhattan….. this one makes a great lamp

This could be on a new segment called: "What I wish wasn''t on the Shelf Wednesday". Hope you didn't wreck your palate for tonght lol

You’re history lessons are top tier sir

Willet has the best distillery tour/ property/ restaurant. It felt the least corporate and very family oriented. The purple tops at the restaurant upstairs are pricey but worth the money. I had a 14 yr, low yield barrel, only 28 bottles, and it is by far the craziest thing I’ve ever had.

I love the Willett flavor profile up and down their entire line. Old Bardstown Estate is one of my favorites.

I am sipping Woodford Reserve double oaked as I watch and trying not to laugh. I think you can get that

When the kiddo was working at a bar, she always kept that bottle at the ready ... as her melee weapon of choice

"I wouldn't say i'm missing it, Bob" . Currently drinking OGD 114 over this

Noah's Mill is one of my go-to shelfers, love it!

I agree. Had it once in Bardstown. Wouldn't do it again. As you said, there is other product out there. Did have a Willett Family Estate Straight Rye that I enjoyed. Good video/history lesson Jason. Cheers

Noah’s Mill is a pretty decent shelfer from Willett.

Pure Kentucky is an amazing bourbon. I do believe it is a 12 year willet. And super good

I remember having this at the Willett distillery tour, it was the first pour they gave us. I was expecting something terrible but i kind of liked it. I wouldn’t pay $55 for it and I’d be embarrassed to have the 1.75l bottle on my bar, but it wasn’t that bad, it would make a good gift whiskey since it’s pleasant and inoffensive. The tour was a lot of fun and the restaurant is delicious, highly recommend it. You’ll sample everything there, even their fermenting mash. I’d love to see you review more Willett products, Johnny Drum would be right up your alley.

I know you shouldn’t judge a person by the bottles on their whiskey shelf, but it’s hard not to think less of someone who has this one front and center.

My favorite from Willet is their Old Bardstown Bottles in Bond. I believe it is a Kentucky exclusive, but for $25ish a bottle, it’s a great value.

Love the history - I wasn’t quite sure of the timeline of events until now. Cheers 🥃

Received a 750 ML for my birthday a couple of years back...and it was okay...middle of the road. Later that year, received a 1.75 L, which remains unopened at this time...too many other bottles to drink and try first. Both look nice on the shelf...but take up SO MUCH ROOM! Cheers!

The wife bought me this as a gift last year, she was recommended it to me even though I wasn't hunting for it because of reviews. Saving it to open together so let's hope it is in our preferences

I've never cared for anything from willet other than their 10+yr bourbon, but was gifted one of these pot still bottles recently and was surprised how drinkable it was! Keep up the great job Jason!

My girlfriend's dad got me into whiskey and we almost always have a glass on Sundays. He poured me a glass of this a few months back and in my mind I was like "oh man here we go" because of all the negative reviews I've heard about it. I was actually pleasantly surprised with it. I'm not sure if we will buy it again based on what else is available at that price point though. I like the other willett offerings and I keep a bottle of Noah's Mill around when I want something very unique

I recieved the PotStill as a gift. It's not terrible. I'm not a big fan of wheated bourbons anyways. The best thing I can say is , the bottle looks good on the shelf.

Willet purple top can be very good. The green top 4 year rye is just not my jam. Love the vids!

I really like Pure Kentucky and their ryes

Just had this a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised as I’m not a fan of Willett. Will I buy it no, but it was much better than expected.

I'm happy you did this video. Pot still was one of my first few purchases several years ago, mainly because of the cool bottle. Like you, I expected it to be the worst experience ever after I read all the drain pour delarations. However, to my surprise, it was pleasantly sweet and tasty. I actually enjoyed it more than Blantons. The honey note is definitely spot on. I think many are influenced by the negative power of suggestion. 😎🥃

Back in the day....I think the HH sourced single barrel pot still bottles were pretty good.

Just attended a Willett tasting, tried the entire lineup. Never a big Willett fan but thought why not go. Had their 11 year rye and bourbon and DAMN, the 11 yr rye was great, but the 11yr bourbon knocked it out of the park. Don’t know if it’s worth 600 though.

When you took your first sip, I was like noooooo. Don’t do it!

I bought Willett Pot Still twice, once in '17 and again in '20. I didn't think it was the worst thing but there is a lot of better things. The only reason I bought it twice was to get the bigger 1.5 liter bottle. It makes a really nice lamp. I do like Willett Family 4 year rye. It's gotten more consistent, more available and less expensive over the last couple of years. I always have a bottle or 3 on my shelf. Purple tops cost too much.

Funny, this rel was the impetus to my journey down the bourbon hole. Not nearly the swill the haters proclaim.

I don’t smoke pot, but if I did, I would use the Willet Pot Bong, I mean Willet Pot Still Bottle.

I purchased this bottle a few years ago, and i actually thought it was spoiled. Never again.

Honest review 👍

I’ve always pronounced it as “Pot Swill”!

I like their four-year rye, but I pass on everything else. The pricing on the purple tops is just stupid.

can we talk about the MHC Special Release bottle in the background 👀

I bought a bottle a year ago or so. I don't have much of a recollection of it. So it couldn't have been too great, but apparently it wasn't awful, either.

I've gone through a few bottles of Willett bourbon and rye (though never this bottle) and the one constant was the bottles were never consistant. The first bottle of Noah's Mill l had still ranks high as one of the most enjoyable and memorable bourbons l've sipped. After a 1/2 dozen more bottles of Noah's Mill hoping to find one like the first one l gave up on it altogether. Same exact experience with Roan's Creek. The 4 year rye was a more consistent and enjoyable pour.

The hybrid pot still Willett has is used as a doubler, so it isn’t true pot still whiskey. They use a column still as their beer still like most larger American distilleries.

8:45 "I like my women like I like my Willett Pot Still: Thin, sweet, and approachable."

Love the 4 yr green top rye. Very unique.

The Mash and Drum, great video bro

Not a big Willett fan. I feel like their own distillate is only decent, not spectacular. The "Willett" that everyone loves the most seems to be purple tops sourced from Turkey or Heaven Hill. While these are delicious I feel like for the insane money these go for, you can get stuff just as good or better from the actual distillery.

I've never hated Willet Pot Still. It's an okay bourbon, but it's the bottle that sells it, not the stuff inside. I never need Willet in my rotation.

Love Zbiotics, didn't like the Willet but it made a pretty infinity bottle😅

I love me some Willett...when I moved out of Kentucky, a piece of me died because my most favorite daily drinker was the Old Bardstown bottled in bond which is KY release only. The unfortunate aspect of Whiskey tube is the prevalence of group think, and I still have no idea why no one has broken out of the group think asylum on this bottle.

It's a good bar fight bottle!

The only Willet product I really liked was a 10 year purple top bourbon. The other stuff ranges from tolerable to undrinkable. Looking at you 4 year estate rye…

I have a willet purple top 9 yr single barrel that is the best whiskey I have ever tasted

I did a barrel pick of 10 year old purple tops using the OG mash bill. It was a really cool tasting. I enjoyed the whiskies, but people are f’ing crazy in what they are paying. I have had one purple top that blew me away and I would say that one was worth a grand. The others… probably not.

I love the Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond by Willett

Did you hope by putting it in the fancy nosing glass it'd help it out? 😁To each his own...I'm a fan of pot still whiskey, but Willett has never landed squarely with me. But, I'll go back every once in awhile to give it a second, third, or fourth chance.

I bought a bottle of this a few years ago and that wet cardboard was very prominent on the palate and I drain poured it...maybe it has improved a little, but still wouldn't buy it. Just got a bottle of the 8-yr purple top for $229 and it is spectacular.

Never an issue with their pot still. Still drinking today. Maybe not the best but I think that’s the low proof.

Would like to see it in a blind tasting with some other $50 and less bourbons.

What's the best non pot still Willett shelfer? Pure Kentucky? Johnny Drum? Noah's Mill?

I’m a big fan of this bottle

It’s fine. The bottle is definitely the star of this product. The whiskey is good for beginners and talking points. Definitely looks good on the shelf. It definitely is not a purple top!!! Haha. Cheers

I get a grassy note in underaged wheated bourbons. I had a bottle of this and got that grassy note in spades on this one.

All Willett is tater juice, which is why it's bottled in a potato smasher. Chuck that at a Blanton's drinker. They're too soft to chuck their pineapple/horsey back.

I bought one 2-3 years ago. To this date, the only bourbon bottle I just couldn’t drink.

It’s not as bad as the shit it is given, but it’s not mind blowing either. I really like their 4 year Rye though.

Drain pour for me.

It’s always struck me as odd what people tend to direct their hate toward and what they don’t. Imo, Willett and Dickel (especially Dickel) get a ton of unwarranted criticism. Then you have brands like Maker’s and Woodfoord (and to some extent BT) which are just boring as hell that get a complete pass.

Miss the Single Barrel version

I don't enjoy anything in Willet's lineup, the restaurant at the distillery is top notch eats though.

There are, thankfully, very few whiskies that are legitimately so bad that they deserve the reputation. More often than not I find that people's assumptions about a dram are due in no small part to either cost & accessibility, or the hype they built up around it before trying it- and then having reality not meet those expectations. If you put the same whiskey in a blind flight though the vast majority of people will be able to appreciate more subtle nuances than if they'd tried it Knowing what it was before hand.

Cute bottle. wouldn’t clean my tools with it…

Bad? No. Just not to everyone's taste. I like it.

It's not as bad as it used to be. If that's the nicest thing I can say, well, it's your money, not mine.

The two purple tops I have are my biggest waste of money and regrets on my shelf. They look pretty and I got them as msrp. But neither is worth the 250 or 300 which is msrp. Good… fine. But 300 good? Not at all. Never again.

I never understood the hate for this bottle. All whisky-tubers just jumped on the bandwagon.

If you drink wine, and you call the wet cardboard note, that’s an obvious sign of TCA or Cork tante, and if overall pallet was muted by flavor that would be hard to justify because you’re actually dealing with something that is proof the proof will mask that note of not being able to justify where the flavor profile should be by absolute standard. I have not been versed in very flawed whiskeys because it’s hard to be skeptical of such volume. That’s made to make a bottle that is out on shelf versus very very small batch AKA small family stuff things that we don’t see or just visit tasting only stuff. At any rate important to make a comment or know more about that law of flaws, where we see that more probably common in wine because of the organic material, not being fortified and it’s interaction with cork and via the process of fermentation and what is coming out of the Winery Again possible lots of other factors to make a flaw situation

What glass are you using?

All I've tried is the 4yr rye and I did NOT enjoy it.

Wet carboard note is sometimes from TCA (fungus on the cork)???

Terrible whiskey......great Infinity bottle!

I don’t get the hate, myself. I think it’s decent

This bottle is like blue cheese… it’s not for everyone!

Finally! 😊😊😊

Willet is for blanton's drinkers who become actually rich. But not for people who want quality.

It's the only bottle that I've given away after trying. 0 redeemable qualities, imho Edit: Mine tasted like wet, green grass

That wet cardboard taste is exactly how I described it. Not a fan.

On the nose i got wet homeless person. It followed through on the palate.

Hey guys a little cardboard gives you some needed fiber in your diet!

Everyone knows this is horse piss. Come on Jason.

Terrible whiskey in a terrible bottle.

Willett pot still bourbon is the Mets of the bourbon world, it just stinks. Cheers

First!