Review #: 98
Description: Willett Family Estate Small Batch Rye
Spirit: Rye
Background: Willett Family Estate came to fame with some amazing sourced single barrels, but they have begun releasing more and more of their own distillate. Their small batch rye has been coming out for a few years, starting with some 2 year old stock. This bottle though contains 4 year old whisky and is bottled at cask strength. This batch is 109 proof.
This was done as a short flight of craft rye whiskies around the 4 year mark and bottled at cask strength. The also included a Driftless Glen Private Selection and a New Riff Single Barrel.
Distillery – Willett
Bottler – Willett
Brand – Willett
Selection – N/A
ABV – 54.5%
Age – 4 Years
Nose – Minty rye, caramel, rosemary, toasted pine nuts
Taste – More savory herbs, caramel, cigar smoke, honey, dr. pepper, medium mouthfeel
Finish – Rye spice, black pepper and tobacco tingle for a good while
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? Yes
Thoughts: This was quite tasty. I’ve seen some conflicting things regarding the mashbill, but it tastes like high rye but with enough sweetness and barrel influence to feel nicely balanced. The savory herbs that I like in a rye are well pronounced but not over powering. For $50, it’s very solid.