Country: USA
Brand: Willett
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey
Age: 6 Years
ABV: 55 %
Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!
Date: 25/07/2013
Colour: Mahogany
Nose: Strong Aromas. The Wood and Pencil Shavings are very prominent but not yet as dominant as in for instance the Noah's Mill 15 Years. There are also lots of Vanilla, Cinnamon, Buttered Rye Bread, Glue and Chewing Gum Mint. But also some Fruity tones. Sometimes I got Orange but at other moments I thought I recognised Banana, Peach, Watermelon or Cherries. A bit of Sweet Corn and Pine as well. The Alcohol is strong but does not really sting. The Nose is pleasant and balanced but not as "addictive" as Templeton Rye.
Palate: Sweet but not Innocent. Holy Cow! Powerful stuff with Mint leading the way, followed by Oak, Rye, Vanilla, Citrus, Pepper, Candies, Cinnamon and Salted Nuts.
Finish: Long and Strong with Mint, Sugared Almonds, Rye Spices, Oak, Salt, Ginger flavoured Candies, Orange Peel and Cinnamon.
With an ABV of 55% I recommend to add a bit of Water if you want to have an entertaining evening with a bottle of Willett Straight Rye. An Ice Cube or two will do just fine as well. But almost always when I taste Whisky or Bourbon or Rye I feel I'm betraying the Spirit when adding Water. The Body's still there but the Soul has gone elsewhere. That's also the case here.
Rating: 85.5
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5
General Remarks: Independent Bottler Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Ltd. (KBD) aka the Willett Distilling Company is family owned and located in Bardstown, Kentucky. Although they have a small production facility that started distilling in 2012, most of their Brand Names like Johnny Drum, Old Bardstown, Willett, Noah's Mill and Rowan's Creek (just to name a few) are distilled elsewhere, most likely mainly at nearby Heaven Hill Distillery. The Willett Straight Rye we are tasting today is a Single Barrel Rye Whiskey (Barrel # 56) matured during 6 years in New White Oak and hand-bottled from the Barrel at the Willett Family Estate Distillery Farm. It is priced at around 50 US Dollars. By law, Rye Whiskey must be distilled from at least 51% Rye. The other ingredients are usually Corn and Malted Barley. I would suspect that the Rye content in the Mash Bill is much higher in this case.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: This is a well-crafted strong Rye Whiskey, characterised by Wood and Vanilla on the Nose and strong Mint and Ginger flavours on the Palate and in the Finish. It's unusually cold in Sao Paulo today (July 24) with 8 degrees Celsius at 21.30 in the evening. So a strong shot of Willett's Straight Rye was just what the doctor ordered!
Jan van den Ende July 2013
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