Kentucky Bourbon Distillers recommendations

[Gillman]

I second Pure XO simply because it has a unique palate: this would be a great one to use for the BTOTY since it just jumps out at you (although the proof is in the pudding to be sure). It tastes both young and old at the same time, oily from corn yet well-cured from long barrel age. I suppose it could be a mingling, but I'd like to think it comes from one place in one warehouse somewhere in or around Bardstown where the taste comes out this way.

Memo to self: pick up a Pure XO the next time I see it and that Vintage 17 Steve mentioned.

Gary

[mosugoji64]

Picked up a bottle of Pure XO yesterday and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a little hot up front, but has a nice, sweet finish. I didn't know anything about this one when I bought it. Seeing Bardstown on the label, I assumed it was one of the HH brands. If I had seen the KBD posts on this board beforehand, I probably wouldn't have picked it up but I'm not disappointed in the product.

[Pieface]

If you can find an age stated Rowan's creek I'd be all over it.

I am enjoying mine very much after it had a little air on it.

Cocoa out the wazoo!

[RyanL]

I bought a bottle of the Willett 17yr and 8yr private bottling for TPS and so far have still been fairly unimpressed with the 17yr. Some people have said give it time to breath and I have though I havent had a pour of it in maybe 3-4 weeks. Maybe I will have a small one in a few minutes and amend this post, I don't know but from the 3 pours I've had that seems unlikely

But...on to the 8 year. That is an amazing pour of bourbon. It's really spicy with some fairly sweetish vanilla and fruit flavors in there. I'm not good enough to pick out all the flavors exactly but this is just a great great boubon. I was really impressed with it from the first pour but I just had another tonight and I think I will be getting another bottle or 2 when TPS gets in their Abraham Bowman rye which I hope will be soon.

If anyone has tried some of the other TPS Willett bottles I would love to hear opinions.

[RyanL]

I bought a bottle of the Willett 17yr and 8yr private bottling for TPS and so far have still been fairly unimpressed with the 17yr. Some people have said give it time to breath and I have though I havent had a pour of it in maybe 3-4 weeks. Maybe I will have a small one in a few minutes and amend this post, I don't know but from the 3 pours I've had that seems unlikely

Alright alright....time for the amendment.

Now granted for me at least it took the bottle of 17yr approx 1-1.5 months to open up to a bourbon I really enjoyed. Or maybe my taste buds just came around, IDK. It is your classic wheater only with a bit more spice to it. It reminds me a decent bit of the PHC10 only I think it is a bit more balanced with regards to the sweet and the spice with a little more sweet carmel flavor than the PHC10. IDK if I would tell anyone to rush out and buy it for $99 when compared to PHC10 for $75 but if you have $99 and the $24 doesnt mean that much to you then I think once you let it open up its a really good pour. but I still would take a Pappy 15 or 20 over it on most days. None the less I want to say that its is a much better pour than my first few encounters with it and I feel like it went from somewhat bland to quite good in about 1.5 months. So if you buy it give it some air before you even bother trying it.

[CaptainQ]

But...on to the 8 year. That is an amazing pour of bourbon. It's really spicy with some fairly sweetish vanilla and fruit flavors in there. I'm not good enough to pick out all the flavors exactly but this is just a great great boubon. I was really impressed with it from the first pour but I just had another tonight and I think I will be getting another bottle or 2 when TPS gets in their Abraham Bowman rye which I hope will be soon.

If anyone has tried some of the other TPS Willett bottles I would love to hear opinions.

Hi Ryan, did you get barrel 374 or 375? I have 375 and love it.

[RyanL]

I have barrel 374.

[sailor22]

If you like wheaters you should definitly try the new batch of Vintage 17 from KBD. While the label is the same (almost) the Bourbon in the bottle is different than it has been for the last couple of years. I liked the previous batch but really love the current one and have bunkered several. I find it sweeter, balanced and with a little less wood.

Unfortunatly the only way to tell the two apart is that the label on the new version is just a little lighter shade of green. Very hard to tell which is which unless they are side by side but when they are it's obvious.

I wanted to correct the above post. The new batch of Vintage 17 has a darker green label than the previous batch. I got it backwards. My bad.