Review: Watershed Distillery Bottled in Bond Bourbon, Apple Brandy Finished Whiskey, and Old Fashioned
Review: Watershed Distillery Bottled in Bond Bourbon, Apple Brandy Finished Whiskey, and Old Fashioned
Earlier this year, we tried our first bourbon from Watershed Distillery. Today we step back to the prologue with a few tamer releases — their bonded 4 year old Straight Bourbon Whiskey and an interesting blend of their straight bourbon with bourbon that has been finished in apple brandy casks. Rounding out today’s trio is their RTD Old Fashioned in a bottle.
Let’s start the tour.
Watershed Distillery Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey 4 Years Old – The nose opens in grand fashion with lots of mint and a faint trace of ethanol. The subtle, creamy sweetness of Charleston Chews meanders in shortly thereafter, with some sparkling apple cider notes visible. The palate starts out deceptively, with the same creamy milk chocolate confectionary notes hitting until a wave of mint and cinnamon arrives suddenly to elbow past the sweetness. There is plenty of oak and leather in the headline as well, which lingers the longest on the finish. In comparing to the Uncut Unfiltered, the drop from 125.4 proof to 100 proof seems to have sharpened the oak and spice notes, helping retain plenty of personality. If oak is your jam, this one delivers nicely. 100 proof. B+ / $52 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Watershed Distillery Apple Brandy Barrel Finished Blended Whiskey – I think it is worth disclosing that I finished my tasting notes on the Straight Bourbon for this review before referring back to the Uncut Unfiltered review. Uncannily, apple cider was also a key note in that release. What makes it even more uncanny is that Watershed has decided to create a blended bourbon that includes bourbon finished in apple brandy barrels. The nose here is peculiarly muted on apple cider notes and presents more of a heavy, baked apple crumble, lightly sweetened, hold the cinnamon. There is nary a trace of mint or spice on the noise. The palate is a very well-balanced showing of deep caramel with a touch of cinnamon spice. There is weightiness of brandy that is more in the mouthfeel than in the palate, bringing more gravitas to similar notes in the straight bourbon. The oak is more subtle and constant, and again clings longest on the finish. This one would do well over ice on a warm summer’s evening. 90 proof. B+/ $58
Watershed Distillery Old Fashioned – The listed ingredients are “bourbon whiskey, whiskey, and bitters.” They don’t list sugar, but it’s hard to imagine there isn’t an added sweetener snuck in here somewhere. (And in fariness to their attempt at transparency, they do say there is added caramel coloring.) The nose is on brand, with a very familiar and welcoming citrusy sweetness boosted by that touch of bitters. I even detected some cherry, but I will admit I could just be projecting. With such a robust nose and such enticing aromas, the palate is disappointingly light and diluted, even without any ice. All the great old fashioned cocktail notes are there, just at a lower volumes. I’d say this is a great general audience cocktail to have available for a mixed group, but if you are into old fashioneds, when the craving hits, this may not ultimately do the trick, even in a pinch. 71.8 proof. B / $35
Watershed Distillery Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey 4 Years Old
$52
