Watershed Distillery Bourbon Review

David Levine -

BOTTLE DETAILS

  • DISTILLER: Watershed Distillery, Columbus, Ohio
  • MASH BILL: Undisclosed but finished in Apple Brandy barrels and blended with straight bourbon whiskey.
  • AGE: 4 Years
  • YEAR: 2021
  • PROOF: 90 Proof (45% ABV)
  • MSRP: $39.99
  • Buy Online: Watershed Trusted Retailers

DAVID'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Fans of craft distillery special releases (even though this is a regular release).

WORTH THE PRICE: Not for me.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: I hate to say it, but bust.

OVERALL: I tried this after tasting the Watershed Bottled-in-Bond, figuring the apple brandy might taint my palate in a way a straight bourbon wouldn’t. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. Even after three tries, I just couldn’t find much flavor here. The apple brandy influence is way, way in the back, and adding additional straight bourbon into the blend diminishes the point of using the brandy barrels in the first place. I’m not sure if this needs more age, less age, more proof, less proof, fewer barrels, or something else, but the baseline needs more tinkering.

Cinnamon-spiced applesauce, toasted wood, muted nose. Peppery oak and expired cinnamon sticks on the palate, both of which turn woody quickly. Finish is short and muted like this ran out of gas.

BRAND NOTES

To create this balanced blend, we finish hand-selected bourbon whiskey in barrels previously used to age our very own Apple Brandy and combine it with straight bourbon whiskey, yielding an unparalleled, expertly balanced drinking experience. Our careful blending and layering of flavors builds unique complexity, bold flavor, and rich mouthfeel. We hope you enjoy sipping it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

  • NOSE:Aromas of toasted oak, toffee, orange zest
  • TASTE:Flavors of honey and oak, vanilla, black tea, and warm baking spice
  • FINISH:Deep cherry finish

WATERSHED DISTILLERY RELEASES BOTTLED-IN-BOND AND NEW BLENDED BOURBON

Craft Distillery Launches a New Premium Bourbon Portfolio

COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 21, 2021) – Today, Columbus, Ohio-based Watershed Distillery is proudly unveiling its reimagined bourbon portfolio which releases on July 1 and includes not one, but two new bourbon products that celebrate the brand’s experience and bourbon-making credentials.

The first of the two bourbons is Watershed’s Bottled-in-Bond, a highly-anticipated offering. Made from a selection of its favorite barrels all from a single season, Bottled-in-Bond is a snapshot of the Watershed story and a reflection of hard work and authenticity. Bottled at 100 proof this bourbon is the same great recipe those who call for Watershed are accustomed to, with a higher alcohol by volume and carrying a rare and recognized mark of provenance and transparency.

“We started making bourbon in 2010 with just one product, which was good. But over the years we’ve worked hard to get better and better, moving from a two-year bourbon to a four-year, and more recently to one of our limited offerings, a six-year barrel strength bourbon,” shares Greg Lehman, CEO and founder of Watershed Distillery. “The launch of our Bottled-in-Bond is the next step in the evolution of Watershed bourbon. Consumer interest in our higher proof, more premium limited-time bourbon offerings has blown us away, and we know this product will be exciting to them.”

The second bourbon, a premium tri-blend bourbon called Watershed Distillery Bourbon, is made by blending Watershed’s standard bourbon with its six-year apple brandy finished bourbon, is rounded out with a sourced bourbon, handpicked to meet a specific flavor profile. The result is a unique and complex four-year age stated offering bottled at 90 proof.

“In recent years, our team has grown more passionate about bourbon blending” shares Lehman. “Our focus with this blend is flavor, and we think our innovative six-year apple brandy finished bourbon is the perfect defining ingredient to build an elevated and unique offering—it turned out better than we ever imagined.”

Watershed Distillery releases its new bourbon portfolio at a time when consumer interest in American whiskey is strong and registrations of new U.S. whiskey expressions are at a 50 year high. Both offerings will be available in 750 ml bottles in select markets throughout the U.S. (Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and New York). Watershed’s Bottled-in-Bond (50% ABV / 100 proof) will be available for a suggested retail price of $49.99 and Watershed Distillery Bourbon (45% ABV / 90 proof) will be available for a suggested retail price of $39.99. The current Watershed Bourbon offering will phase-out of the market before the end of the year. All of Watershed’s single barrel bourbon, limited-time releases, and its other spirit offerings, including its award-winning family of gins, remain unchanged.

Disclaimer: Watershed Distillery provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.