Rowan's Creek Bourbon

@Victor, Rowwan's Creek is one of my favorite and unique tasty bourbons. I'm glad you were able to find it over on your end of the continent.

@AboutChoice,yes, I read your review. Kentucky Bourbon Distillers has a very fine line. Have you had the opportunity to try the Willett bourbons? Every one I have tried has been excellent. As I recall last time you commented you had not tried the Pure Kentucky XO, correct? Wonderful stuff. Looking forward to comparing more notes in the future.

Hi, I'm new to this site but thought I'd pitch in. I have had the pleasure of owning Rowan's Creek, Noah's Mill, Willetts and Kentucky Vintage. All are good with Rowan's and Noah's being the standout for me. The depth of flavour in these two is exceptional and, as such, the bottles didn't last very long. Flavour wise, how does Kentucky XO compare to Noah's Mill?

@boardsy, Welcome! It is nice to have additional company on Connosr commenting on the KBD product line. I would describe the Pure Kentucky XO as having a deeper range of flavours, with more noticeable bass note contributions from the wood, compared to Noah's Mill, which I think of as being more 'high-pitched', to use a musical analogy. I do also like the KBD product line in general, though I am not a huge Noah's Mill fan, as you may see that I have posted in various places. My taste prefers more bass notes, and there is something in Noah's Mill that always has seemed just a little bit cloying to me. I like Noah's Mill ok, and have tried it several times, but I would probably not ever buy a bottle of it. In other postings you will note that @AboutChoice has been a Noah's Mill's enthusiast for a very long time. I have a 12 yo Willett "Calypso" that I would prefer the most among the range of KBD bourbons I have tried. There was also that Willett "Soppresata" that I reviewed that was out of this world, along with the astounding 23 yo Willett "Iron Fist" rye. From KBD, I also like Johnny Drum Private Stock and Kentucky Vintage. Our tastes are individual, for sure.

@Victor, I didn't realise there were so many variations of Willett. The Willet I had was the Pot Still Reserve. Here in the UK I have not come accross other offerings but i'll be sure to read your reviews. Hopefully the Pure Kentucky XO will become available on the Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt sometime soon. I have often pondered whether to purchase the Johnny Drum Private Stock but other things have always ended up in my online shopping basket.

Hello @boardsy. The Willett family used to distill at their family distillery before they sold it to Even Kulsveen in 1984. Kulsveen is a selector, buyer, and bottler of whiskeys from other distillers. He has not reopened the Willett distillery. His corporation is named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd. The Willett Pot Still Reserve is the only Willett-named product that KBD sells that is not a single barrel product. The Willett single barrel products, both bourbons and ryes, are numbered and usually named. They are very difficult to find. Even in the US, probably not 1 liquor store in 100 has Willett single barrel whiskeys in its inventory for sale. Some of the best stores will buy entire Willett single barrels and bottle and sell them under the Willett label. They are a rare treat. At worst they are good to very good, at best frequently astonishing. I hope that you find and like Pure Kentucky XO. Cheers!

Victor, this excellent review persuaded me to pick up a bottle today. I'm a few sips into my first dram, and I'm really enjoying it! $39 well spent!

@Russ, I am very glad to hear that you are enjoying the Rowan's Creek!