Pure Kentucky XO

About the Pure Kentucky XO

Pure Kentucky XO is a small batch straight bourbon from Bardstown, Kentucky. The bottle carries no age statement. XO stands for extra old, a term borrowed from Cognac. In bourbon it means nothing legally, though the brand has long been reckoned at around twelve years. Bottling strength is 53.5%. That is a big number for a bourbon, and this one wears it well. The label sits in the Willett family's small batch range. The whisky comes from the Willett Distillery, founded on a Bardstown farm in 1936. Thompson Willett ran off his first batch on 17 March that year, roughly thirty barrels. Eight warehouses now hold between 5,000 and 6,000 barrels each. Those warehouses are about a quarter the size of most Kentucky rickhouses. They stand on some of the highest ground in the county. A steady breeze moves through them, and that airflow shapes how the barrels mature. Caramel and oak lead the nose, with pine sap and a nutty peanut edge. Cherry and apple sit underneath, soft and a little floral. The palate turns spicy at once: cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper. Brown sugar and nougat push back against that heat. Cocoa and chocolate arrive late, wrapped in more oak. The finish is long, sweet, and dusted with salted caramel and clove. A twist of lime keeps the last of it bright. Four small batch bourbons share this stable: Noah's Mill, Rowan's Creek, Kentucky Vintage, and this one. Pure Kentucky XO carries a creamier, more buttery texture than the higher-proof Noah's Mill. Its stablemates once wore age statements of twelve and fifteen years. Those disappeared as bourbon demand grew and old stock ran thin. Willett restarted its own stills in 2012, and today the label finally carries the family name.