2Bar Spirits is located in Seattle, Washington, and was founded by Nathan Kaiser in 2010. The first distillery in Seattle to produce bourbon, Kaiser named the distillery after the family’s 5th-generation Kaiser 2BAR ranch in South Texas. 2Bar Spirits Bourbon was one of the first few bourbons we reviewed after the launch of Breaking Bourbon in 2014. At the time, it was a young 9 month old bourbon. Since that time, the company has produced an ongoing 3 year old bourbon along with single barrels ranging in age up to 6 years old. Their bourbons use a six grain mashbill, however, the company does not disclose the grain type or percentages used.

In keeping with family tradition, Willett Pot Still Reserve is a mean small batch Kentucky straight bourbon. Aged for between eight and ten years, Willett Pot Still Reserve earned the Gold Medal for taste at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2008, and the Double Gold Medal for design. Its unique shape and design are meant to resemble the pot still that was used for generations at the Willett Distilling Company. Soft and elegant on the nose, this bourbon has slight notes of vanilla, coconut and cinnamon.