Willett Family Estate Bourbon 11 YO, Barrel # 8220
A Vanishing Breed
6 1495
Review by @Victor
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall95
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I thank @numen for the reviewed sample
The Willett Distillery, which had been founded in the 1930s, closed in the mid-1980s and remained closed until 2012. Beginning in January 2012 the new Willett Distillery began producing new Willett branded distillate. During the intervening years Willett and its parent company Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Ltd sourced distillate from various distilleries and aged it themselves, to create bourbons and ryes with their own signature on them. Willett Family Estate Bourbons and Ryes are characterized by their skill in maturation. Typically they taste much better than the distillery brands from the distilleries from which they originated. If I could go back to the year 2008-2009 again, I would have bought a lot of old Willetts. Alas, at that time I was only just about to learn that they existed
Now that Willett is again distilling whiskey the supply of sourced Willett Family Estate sourced whiskeys is greatly diminishing. The reviewed whiskey is an 11 year old bourbon, which is probably a standard, i.e. rye-containing, bourbon. Willett Family Estate Whiskeys are bottled at Barrel Strength
Nose: HUGE and BRIGHT middle-pitched oak flavours, with a beautiful high-pitched sweetness. Loads of beautiful natural caramel, with moderate influence from vanilla. Spicing is very noticeable, both from oak and from rye grain: baking spices, with cloves being the most prominent. This is very beautiful and very powerful. Score: 24/25
Taste: oh my God, this is almost as good in the mouth as it is in the nose; big huge flavours, with more bass notes from wood in the mouth than in the nose. Otherwise, this is a very fine translation of the nose flavours to the palate. Score: 23.5/25
Finish: this remains almost as good to the death as it has been up til now. Very long very strong finish, which stays the same except for gathering a very little bit of bitterness at the close. Score: 23/25
Balance: Excellent in nose and palate; very good on the finish. Score: 23.5/25
Water added: 1) accentuated high-pitched sweetness in the nose, but otherwise changed little, and 2) accentuated caramel on the palate and finish while bundling the flavours and reducing the complexity. The nose is good with water, but the palate is not nearly as good as it is neat
Total Sequential Score: 94 points
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Strength: VERY strong flavours. Score: 24.5/25
Quality: perfect quality with the exception of a little bit of bitterness at the very end of the finish. Score: 23.5/25
Variety: the oak gives a wide range of very delicious flavours, while the rye grain contributes additional spicing. Score: 24/25
Harmony: excellent harmony in nose and on delivery; very good harmony on the close. Score: 23.5/25
Total Non-Sequential Score: 95.5 points
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Comment: God, this brings back memories. Back in 2009 it was pretty easy to find and drink bourbons of this quality without spending a fortune for them, if you knew where to look. I've had this sample from @numen for about 4 years now, and I had no idea how well I would like it until trying it today. Nowadays bourbons of this quality often cost $ 150-300, even in the USA. I wish that I owned 3 or 4 bottles from Willett Family Estate Bourbon, Barrel # 8220
Find where to buy Willett whisky
I have procured some excellent Bourbon/Rye this year and hard (mostly impossible) to get in Ontario and Willett FE anything still eludes me. My quest continues.