It has been a long while since I have sat down and enjoyed a good glass of bourbon. It is not because I don’t find bourbon enjoyable or as enjoyable as rum. But because for me, bourbon has become a victim of its success. This does not mean that I am a “bourbon hater”, but I have had to become honest with myself as to whether frenzied craze and hype that surrounds bourbon justify the ever-growing prices.
Having worked on the retail side of things for so long and seeing the great lengths individuals will go through to get something from Buffalo Trace, and the constant begging, harassing, threatening, and temper-tantrums of customers had bourbon leaving a bad taste in my mouth. This is very unfair to the hardworking men and women in the bourbon industry as it is a wonderfully unique product on the world stage of spirits.
This past week, Erika and I decided to take some much-needed time off from work and try to get ourselves into a much better place mentally. We found a great little cottage a few hours south of Chicago and I thought to myself, what better time to try and reconnect with America’s native spirit.
And I could not think of a better bottle to do this with than with a brand that is very near and dear to my heart. Not because they were the first bourbon I ever had (although they might be behind the first great bourbon I ever had) or because an older gentleman is smoking a cigar on the label. But because they are making great bourbon and not letting mass marketing or hype dictate their course of direction.
That brand is Willett Distillery located in Bardstown, Ky. A fantastic “small” producer with a fun (and convoluted) history. They even have a great relationship with one of my favorite restaurants in the country Husk. While part of their KBD sourced line, Noah’s Mill 15 and Rowan’s Creek 12-year-old bourbons were my first sips of exquisite bourbon over a decade ago and their Estate rye whiskey is one of the best examples of what rye whiskey should taste like. So, I naturally became excited when I was able to get my hands on a bottle of Willett Family Estate bourbon that was handpicked by Binny’s Beverage Depot last year.
This bottling, in particular, was aged five years in new charred American white oak and was bottled at 64.3% abv or 128.6 proof. One of the things that continue to make Willett somewhat difficult to decode when it comes to their mashbill is that they use six different recipes and unlike Four Roses, they are not as transparent about how those recipes are used.
Luckily, I was able to find (steal) some great info from Bourbonr.com. Based on the information below and knowing that this barrel was Barrel No. 4759; we can assume that this was their High Rye 52/38/10 recipe with an entry proof of 125 or 62.5% abv.
APPEARANCE
Exquisite wine shaped bottle adorned with a Royal Purple foil along the neck and the Willett Family Crest on the label. On the back, just a simple rectangular label noting that this is a Binny’s Handpick.
The bourbon has a very attractive copper hue highlights and solid bronze core.
AROMA
This nose is BIG. Heavy aromas of maple-glazed cornbread are the dominating character. Some individuals find the hallmark of “good bourbon” is all sweetness, but there is something whimsical about those cornbread notes on the nose. From there the alcohol and rye in the mash burst through with hot cinnamon, freshly picked tarragon, something that resembles Swedish Fish candy, and fresh-cut oak.
A very youthful nose to be sure, but the elements are there in the right places. It foreshadows something really special in the barrels that will not see the light of day for another 5-7 years.
PALATE
The bourbon drinks far more mature than the nose would suggest. For such a young age, the barrel has given this whiskey flavors of worn leather and fresh roast coffee. It is short-lived however as a quick pop of candied gingers mellow those rich flavors into kettle corn and Cow Tales candy.
BODY
The body on this has great viscosity and is very oily.
FINISH
Umami! Something in the way of a sweet heat BBQ sauce. Well balanced structure of honey, clove, cayenne, and molasses singing in unison. It fades quickly leaving a slight black tea tannin feeling on the tongue along with white pepper and a long-lasting menthol.
OVERALL
Willett has fallen into that category of You either love it or you hate it. So, I don’t try to fight anyone when they say that they do not care for Willett products. And I do not fight them because this has been yet another win for me from Willett. They are not trying to dress themselves up as something that they are not. Does this bourbon have some youthful element to it? Absolutely. But is also not trying to mask that by using 5-30-gallon barrels either. It is just good bourbon. The pricing is a little too confident for what you get, but that is the world we live in today when it comes to bourbon.
