Pure Kentucky XO
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
53.5% ABV
$45
Website
What the Distillery Says
tasting notes
Aptly named, because when you think of Kentucky, you think Bourbon. The nose is toffee, fruit, eucalyptus and oak. The palate is cinnamon, toffee, caramel, pepper, oak, and spices.
tasting notes courtesy of:
Bill Thomas, Jack Rose Dining Saloon
What Gary Says
Nose: Salted caramel, fudge, vanilla wafers, charred oak, grilled corn, brown sugar and mixed nuts.
Palate: Chewy mouthfeel, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate brownie with a hint of peanut brittle.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with oak, chocolate, and pepper.
Comments: Just a rock solid bourbon right here. This makes an excellent Old Fashioned too. I loved the earlier version of this label, which I’m certain included older stocks than it does now (while not age stated, Willett has only been actively distilling the last 10 or so years, and I think the older renditions of this included stocks of 12+ years old). Either way, this has a very similar profile to what I remember and is quite nice. I do get some corn notes which show its youth, and the peanut brittle note is nice (although subtle; this isn’t as strong as on some Beam products). This proof point is my sweet spot for bourbon which helps, but the blending of barrels from different ages and I’m sure different warehouse locations all go into hitting that profile.
PK was excellent 20 years ago, still very good 10 years ago but not better than average now, and it’s overpriced.
As with almost every whiskey, tastes and preferences vary. I found it pretty good (although compared to 20 or 10 years ago, everything feels overpriced!), but perhaps the one I pulled a couple years back had been laying around. Makes me think I should try to grab a new one just to see. Agree that the older versions were absolutely better – wish I still had some of them to compare against!