Friday’s Pick: Willett Single Barrel Estate Reserve Bourbon
January 18th, 2008Willett Single Barrel Estate Reserve Bourbon, Barrel # A-4614, 47%, $35
Bottled in a really cool glass pot still decanter. Soft and elegant on the nose and palate, and very well balanced. An incredibly drinkable whiskey. There’s no age statement on the bottle, but it was bottled at just the right time, based on its great balance of flavors. Notes of vanilla, coconut, and crème brulee, provide a base for emerging notes of cedar wood shavings, cinnamon, soft mint and a hint of fennel. A very graceful bourbon.
Advanced Malt Advocate Magazine rating: 90
January 20th, 2008 at 11:19 am
at this years bourbon festival toddy’s was sellling a willett family estate bottled single barrel , but is was fourn years old and 125.4 proof. a tad young for such power. It was produced by heaven hill,and i think he picked out one barrel to have bottled and sold for the festival
mike
January 20th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Was it also in a glass pot still decanter?
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 am
Where can one get this bourbon? None of the retailers in NJ seem to have it and I’m sure it is limited in supply.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
This is a new product for us that we are very excited about. It is separate from the brand that Mike mentioned above. The item that Mike is referring to is called Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon/Rye. It is what we consider our barrel selection program. The Bourbon that John review is a completely different item. It is called Willett Family Pot Still Reserve. It is a single barrel 8 to 10 years old at 94 proot in a pot still decanter replicated from the pot still from the pot still that we have in place. We just shipped the first of it last week to our customer in California and should be available in the Californian market by the end of this month. It will be released in Kentucky next and be available by the beginning of February. It will be released in New York and New Jersey in March. Illinois in March, Indiana in March, and other markets to follow. If any one has questions regarding this item please contact me at Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Thanks, Drew, for the explanation. Anyone wanting more info from Drew can click on his name above and it will take you to the KBD website.
The whiskey really is delicious and I love the decanter.
February 12th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Hello John:
Have you had the opportunity to try the Willett offerings that Joe Riley currently is carrying at Ace Beverage down in D.C?
He has the following:
Willett 15 Year-Old Bourbon barrel 129-proof - $71.99
Willett 23 Year-Old Rye barrel 137-proof “The Iron Fist” - $179.99
Willett 23 Year-Old Rye barrel 137.1-proof “The Velvet Glove” - $179.99
Joe has a wonderful review for each bottle. It would appear that each is absolutely magnificent. I suppose that should not come as a surprise to anyone who was fortunate enough to purchase the 22 Year-Old Rye offering Ledgers had last year.
I guess my question then is, why does it appear that no one, short of living in the general D.C. vicinity knows anything about these gems? I just happened to luck out by stumbling across Joe’s website, but other than that, everyone including all the major bourbon websites seem oblivious to them.
Could you, or perhaps Mr. Kulsveen shed any light on these bottles. Any additional input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you gentlemen.
Cheers,
Scott
February 12th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Scott, I have not personally tasted the Ace Beverage bottlings. However, I can make a general comment about the older (22 & 23 year old) Willett rye whiskeys that I have tasted. They are very clean and surprisingly lack the big wood influence found in other rye whiskeys on the market of that age.
February 12th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
These are part of our barrel program and were bottle for a customer in DC. We don’t market these as part of our normal portfolio because they are so limited and the selections are always different. They are available in a select few markets such as DC. These whiskies were selected by whiskey drinkers and are sold by whiskey drinkers which is the approach we decided to take. If you would like to try them before you buy them (if you still can) take a trip to Bourbon DC or any other Bourbon hotspot. We just released some to one of our customers in CA, they chose a barrel of 25YR and it was bottled at 90.2 Proof (very tasty if you like the older stuff). Anyone wanting information regarding our barrel program can contact me at kentuckybourbon@bardstown.com
February 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Thanks Drew for the update and clarification. –John
February 12th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
John and Drew:
My thanks to both of you for your informative replies.
Cheers,
Scott
February 17th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
The 4yo, barrel-proof bourbon referenced above — sold at Toddy’s in Bardsown during the last Festival — was selected and shared by Doug Philips, whose 23yo Willett Family Reserve rye John DID review here:
http://www.maltadvocate.com/buyers-bo-WillettFamilyReserve.asp
As with the old rye, there was only a single barrel produced (a TRUE single-barrel, then).
June 6th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
The 23yr old Willet ryes available only in the DC market are fantastic. They are NOT, however, exclusive to Ace Beverage. They are available at Bourbon (a fantastic whisky bar) and at The Wine Specialist as well. In fact, I saw them at the Wine Specialist for $135 per bottle rather than $179.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Just found a bottle in Redding CA. Anxious to try. I am origianally from KY now living in So Oregon. Any Bourbon hotspots around me. I can only find ones you see every where.
August 27th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Glad you found a bottle. Sorry, can’t help you sourcing more. Don’t know So Oregon ver well.