The rye appears much darker in the bottle than in the glass, and has an orange cast to its brownish base. The product has grown in complexity from its younger offering like any great product should, and has good availability and is priced right. A friend recently gave me a sample of the Willett 4 Year Rye, which I assume is just a different batch of this same line? Matt declined to provide a score, but you can see he received this one way more favorably than I did. Background. Taylor's a native of Chicago. Edward Willett … Summary Less. Something has gone terribly wrong here. A 4 year old rye doesn’t seem like much to take note of, that is until you taste this rye's unique collection of flavors. Like you, there was such an odd, sour off note about it that I had trouble placing. We don’t want to sell out, because we want to keep challenging the industry. Initially, Willett distillate (bourbon and rye) made its way into Willett … WILLETT FAMILY ESTATE RYE 4 YR 750ml. We don’t want to partner with brands. Your email address will not be published. Distiller: The Willett Distillery . Martha Willett (granddaughter of the distillery’s first president) married a Norwegian fellow by the name of Even Kulsveen in 1972. Willett Family Estate Rare Release 10 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey Kentucky, USA. Willett Single Barrel Rye – 4 yrs old Review… In the early 2010’s Willett started distilling their own whiskey on-site for the first time in over 30 years. NP, as I’ve only ever owned bottles distilled by Willett, I have only ever seen “Distilled, Aged, and Bottled by: The Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY” on the back. Plenty of caramel is present in the form of caramel apple, caramel popcorn, and burnt toffee. Despite the age statement not being overly impressive, Willett has priced the product competitively against other craft distilleries. It’s an aroma that bucks your general understanding of what a rye whiskey should smell like and has some fun doing it in the process. In the mouth: The sourness carries through on the palate. While I’ve experienced the occasional pickle nuance with whiskey sourced from MGP, this barrel has that effect turned up to 11. You must be 21 or over to enter this website. I think Willett’s about to be pinned!”. Willett is getting back into the rye game with this peppery, spicy, single barrel, cask strength rye. Even next to a different Willett 3 year rye, this was miles away in terms of profile and taste. That’s where Willett shines. Seeing as the whole of the whiskey is rye… Until that bourbon is aged long enough for release, their bourbon will be sourced elsewhere. Press Esc to cancel. Its straight rye is Bottled-in-Bond, non-chill-filtered and springy as can be, but the most interesting part is the mashbill, made up of the classic 95 percent rye and a very rare 5 percent of malted rye. The Old Bardstown brand was re-launched as well in 2016. BRAND. [Wrestling announcer voice]: “Wait, what’s this? Willett White Dog is Coming. It is a small batch and is released at barrel proof. In the glass, it appears much more orange than brown, but has a warm coloring. Not sure about the other labels; would be happy to hear from any readers more in the know. My little brother and I used to love it when we were kids. Combined with green tea notes, it creates a somewhat medicinal taste. Read more about our new Patron offering, or hit the button below to contribute. They continue to be expert distillers and even a low key product like their 4 Year Rye has a lot to offer. Its age is fairly common for ryes and despite it not coming from MGP like so many ryes do, its Kentucky roots don't make it stand out as most Kentucky distilleries have now added a rye whiskey to their product portfolio. At first this utilized aged stocks from the distillery; eventually KBD resorted to using sourced whiskey, allegedly from nearby Heaven Hill distillery among others. Ouch. The part that’s relevant to us begins in 1936, when the family (having been distillers and part-owners of distilleries since the late 1800’s) constructed the first Willett distillery on the grounds of their family farm. There’s surprising depth to the 4 Year’s sip, and while it does feature a toasted grain note in its finish, it adds dimension and doesn’t distract. ... Willett Family Estate Rare Release 10 Year Old Straight Rye … 111.8 Proof. In the latter portion of 2011, the family opened a visitor center and tasting room. A buddy gave me this bottle; retail price should be in the $45 range (though I frequently see these marked up aggressively, so buyer beware). Yet in this case, Willett 4 Year Rye has developed admirably from its two year version and offers enough quality and uniqueness to justify the company’s asking price. Wilderness Trail, Willett (rye and bourbon, all Straight!) Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Support Malt Each Month By Becoming A Patron. I enjoy reading your reviews. It’s unique, yet works in application. However, there’s obviously some wicked batch-to-batch variation, which is a risk you should be aware of if you’re considering getting a bottle. Further botanical notes are introduced against a slight ramp up of spice. Be the first to review this product. This tastes so bad to me, I struggle to even finish a small measure of it. [Wrestling announcer voice]: “Oh no! Your email address will not be published. We were introduced last year month by David Jennings of Rare Bird 101 fame, and we had an amusing evening of whiskey tasting at the exceedingly well-stocked punk bar Delilah’s. Willett made the transition from bottler to … As for Lloyd Christmas, I haven’t personally made his acquaintance but would be certainly be open to collaboration with him. Average User Rating. Willett - Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey 4 Years Old 112.8 Proof (750ml) $ 89.99 $ 119.99 / 1000ml ... Be the first person to review this product. Willett … From its nose, through its palate and finish, this whiskey is attention grabbing. Perhaps I’ll have to circle back in a few years to give it another go–there’s lots of other great whiskies to be had out there in the meantime! After heading to university in Scotland, he graduated from drinking Whyte & Mackay and Coke to neat single malts. Seek this one out if you like unique whiskies! Anders, a drawback of the “sourcing to build a brand” approach is that it’s not always clear where the sourced stuff ends and where the own distilled stuff begins. Willett 4 Year Rye most notably stands out as the result of its flavor profile. Willett… SUPPORT THE CAHNNEL VIA PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/mybourbonjourney BUY ME A POUR: https://www.paypal.me/spage1313 CHALLENGE COINS: Now Available! According to TTB labels approved today, Willett will release 2 unaged whiskies a rye and a wheated mash bill.This will be Willetts own distillate. Dispensing with the above descriptors and sticking to the facts: this is straight rye whiskey, aged for three years and bottled at barrel strength, in this case 110.4 proof (55.2%). In 2014, they celebrated this accomplishment with the release of a two year old rye whiskey. Overall an unlikely pairing of flavors that perform surprisingly great together. Much like the nose and palate before it, the flavors all come together quite well. The aroma has a gentleness about it thanks to additional notes of honey. It wasn’t until 2014 that Willett was finally able to slap “Distilled at The Willett Distillery” on their first homemade release, a well-received straight rye. Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Rye Review. The Family Estate series of Bourbon and Rye … Balance - It's insanely well balanced with the alcohol so perfectly integrated at 115 proof you'll forget its there, but you'll find yourself smiling more and happier … Today we’ll be looking at a rye from Willett, a producer that has garnered little coverage from MALT. John David Willett began distilling at the Moore, Willett & Frenke Distillery in Kentucky during Reconstruction. 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