Watershed Distillery Bourbon

A little background

Distilled by Watershed Distillery in Columbus, Ohio, this Bourbon is bottled at 90 proof and has a retail price of around $35. The exact mash bill is not known, but it’s a double distilled, small batch product made from a five grain grain mash bill including corn, wheat, rye, barley, and spelt. Watershed Distillery double distills this bourbon using pot stills, then aged it up to three and a half years. This review is based on a sample from Batch # 092.

(Tasted neat from a Cradle Glass)

Color

Straw

Nose

For me, the nose on this bourbon was very sweet and corn forward. It smelled young and was hard to get over the grain notes that were present.

Palate

The palate has a nice spice note that was driven by cinnamon and allspice; however, the palate started to drop off for me after that. The palate was quite thin and had the typical notes of a young bourbon. It did however have a toffee note that was quite enjoyable, but the overall mouthfeel was thin which didn’t allow the bourbon to coat the palate.

Finish

The finish had notes of pepper and cinnamon that carried over from the palate but also had a corn note that I found to be overpowering and unpleasant. It’s not overly complex and I believe could have benefited additional time in the barrel.

In conclusion

The spice on the palate was quite nice, but for me, the bourbon went downhill from there. The nose, palate, and finish all seemed to suffer from notes that can be present in young bourbons, such as overly sweet corn notes and a very thin watery mouthfeel. However, I am excited to see how this bourbon develops as it spends more time in the barrel. I’d love to see the spice notes of the palate start to become more balanced and the overly sweet corn notes start to dissipate. With a very fair price of $35, I feel it’s worth giving a try and experiencing a unique mashbill containing spelt.