Willett's Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon is one of those bottles that catches your eye before you even crack the seal. That distinctive pot still-shaped bottle isn't just marketing — it's a statement of intent from a family operation in Bardstown, Kentucky, that's been tied to bourbon since the 1930s. This particular expression is a single barrel bottled at 47% ABV, and it comes in a magnum format, which tells me someone at Willett expects you to share this one. Good luck with that.
At 47% ABV, this sits in a sweet spot for bourbon. It's above the legal minimum of 40% but not so hot that it overwhelms newer drinkers. For those who care about the technical side — and you should — that proof point matters because it affects how the spirit interacts with the barrel. Lower entry proofs tend to pull more sugars and vanillins from the wood, while higher proofs extract more tannins and spice. At 47%, you're getting a balanced extraction that should deliver complexity without harshness.
The single barrel designation is worth paying attention to here. Unlike a standard blend of multiple barrels, every bottle from a single barrel release will have its own personality. Warehouse placement, the specific char level of that barrel, even which rick house it sat in — all of these variables shape the final product. That's part of what makes single barrel bourbon exciting and, frankly, part of what justifies the price tag.
This is a NAS (no age statement) bourbon, which means Willett isn't leaning on a number to sell it. That can go either way, but in this case I think it works in the whisky's favour. The focus is on the liquid itself, not a marketing number. At £163 for a magnum, you're paying roughly what you'd expect for a quality single barrel bourbon at this volume — it's not cheap, but it's not extracting the premium that some allocated releases demand.
Tasting Notes
I'll be updating this section with detailed nose, palate, and finish notes once I've had the chance to sit with this bourbon properly over multiple sessions. A single barrel release deserves that kind of attention — first impressions don't always tell the full story with bourbon at this proof.
The Verdict
Willett's Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon in magnum format is a genuinely appealing package. You're getting a well-proofed single barrel bourbon from one of Kentucky's most storied addresses, in a bottle size that makes it ideal for a home bar centrepiece or a gift for someone who takes their bourbon seriously. The 47% ABV is confident without being aggressive, and the single barrel selection means you're getting something with individual character rather than a blended-to-consistency product. At £163, it's an investment, but it's a fair one for what you're getting — both in volume and in quality. I'm scoring this a 7.8 out of 10. It delivers on its promise, it looks fantastic on a shelf, and it drinks with the kind of straightforward quality that reminds you why Kentucky bourbon remains the benchmark for American whiskey.
Best Served
A bourbon like this deserves a proper Old Fashioned. Use a barspoon of rich demerara syrup (2:1 ratio), two dashes of Angostura bitters, and a wide orange peel expressed over the glass. The 47% ABV holds up beautifully with a single large ice cube — it opens up without falling apart. If you're drinking it neat, give it five minutes in the glass before your first sip. That little bit of air does real work at this proof point.
