Heavy caramel | Cola | Vanilla | Barrel char | Black currant | Burnt sugar | Robust intensity

Caramel | Oatmeal raisin cookie | Nutmeg | Baking spices

Sharp hazelnut | Burnt sugar | Tannic oak | Funky leather | Dark chocolate

Watershed Distillery is located in Columbus, Ohio and has gained a hardcore following over the years. They have very carefully been upping the age of their bourbon and currently offer a 4 year old Bottled in Bond Bourbon and an impressive 6 year old Apple Brandy Finished Cask Strength Bourbon. This isn’t the first time Lost Lantern has chosen to spotlight Watershed. In 2021, they released a 5 year old Watershed bourbon at 118.4 proof. Around the same time, Lost Lantern took an additional barrel from Watershed and brought it to Vermont to age for 2 more years. Now featuring a 7 year age statement and a whopping 132.2 proof, this marks the oldest bourbon that Lost Lantern has ever released, and one of the only 7 year old bourbons released from Watershed.

For fans of the Watershed brand, this single cask selected and released by Lost Lantern is exactly what you’d expect it to be. For those uninitiated, Watershed Bourbon uses a five(!) grain blend of corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, and spelt. If you’re familiar with four grain bourbons and their kitchen sink approach, this is similar, however takes things a step further. Watershed Bourbon in general has a distinct taste and it can be traced back to its five grain mashbill.

This edition of Lost Lantern’s Watershed offering starts with a rich and robust aroma. Filled with heavy doses of caramel, cola, barrel char, and black currant, it works exceedingly well. The palate carries over the heavy caramel, and introduces an oatmeal raisin cookie note along with a healthy amount of baking spices. The finish is where the Watershed distinctiveness comes out the most as it introduces hazelnut, tannic oak, and a funky leather note. This is where some people’s tastes may deviate, as the full impact of the five grain mashbill is unleashed. It’s hard to completely define, as its bag of tricks is fully emptied, and there are conflicting and complementary flavors all going on at once. I was surprised by its lack of flavor oomph during its finish which is usually present for 130+ proof bourbons. The finish doesn’t crescendo to the degree I expected it to. As someone who has had a good deal of Watershed whiskey, this release is what I expected it to be, but also not. It offers different shades of what Watershed does best, but at the same time isn’t afraid to take some risks.

‍The bottle’s back label says this release consists of 150 bottles, but the company’s press release and website state a total of 65 bottles will be released.