Blackened x Willett (Master of Whiskey Series)

My next few reviews are going to be blind to be unbiased based on any reviews, labels or age statements and hopefully I can determine what they are and most importantly, if they are delicious or not. A huge thanks to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for taking the time to set this up for me and now time to crack this first one open to find out what surprise Lex has in store for me. The nose is bold and rich starting with powdered sugar dusted strawberries, toasted pumpernickel bagel and sweet pipe tobacco then honeysuckle and wintergreen followed by cherries jubilee, caramelized pears, and orange blossom that transitions to spearmint, juniper berries, anise and leather with high ethanol burn. The taste is syrupy rich mouthfeel starting with powdered sugar dusted strawberries, toasted pumpernickel bagel and sweet pipe tobacco then honeysuckle and wintergreen followed by cherry pie, caramelized pears, and orange zest that transitions to spearmint, juniper berries, and slightly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with anise, cherry pie, caramelized pears, sweet pipe tobacco, moderate black pepper spice, spearmint and mildly bitter black tea. Well, this is a fantastic start to this little blind series that is very delicious with bold and rich flavors of red berries, rye, florals and well-aged oak that leans a little more on the bitter and spicy flavors than I prefer, but it’s still an exceptional whiskey. Based off the red berries and rye flavors, I’m thinking this is either a MWND or possibly a Blackened X Willett as those are the only two ryes that I know that have aged in red wine barrels, but Lex could have thrown a surprise at me. Time to find out and pull that label off to find out that it turns out to be…….. Blackened X Willett. Haha, yes. I finally got one of these blinds right and would like to have one of these in my cabinet if I could find it for $150, but for the $200 I see online, I’ll probably pass on it for now.

Pretty mild nose for a rye of this proof; spearmint, ginger, strawberry, something grassy, something umami (soy sauce?), leather, and a hint of “Willett funk” which I can best describe as a dusty rickhouse note if that makes sense. After it’s been in the glass a minute the ethanol drops to near zero, a plus for a 109 proof product. A weird and complex nose for sure. Palate: Oh ok, wow. There is a LOT going on here. Chocolate malt, black pepper, date, fig, raisin, plum, raspberry, tobacco, and mint. Flavors are explosive. This tastes like someone mixed a dessert bourbon with an herbaceous rye and honestly I’m all about it. Underneath it all, there is a flavor that is distinctly “Willett” which in my book is a good thing. Finish is spicy and long with white pepper, cinnamon, peppermint, and a nice toasted oak not present in the nose or palate. Finish is loooooong. Mouthfeel is unctuous and suits the flavor profile perfectly. Totally unique and delicious. I’m not sure how much of this is attributable to the Willett profile (probably a lot), the Madeira cask aging (probably a considerable amount) or the “sonic Metallica aging” (probably zero) but whatever it is, they nailed it. But we must address the disgusting $159 price tag. Apparently this is 6-8 year Willett Rye in here and given what THAT goes for these days, one could make a serious argument that is actually a bargain. Do I think so? No, not quite. Will I buy a replacement when this is gone? (Assuming I can find it) I just might. It’s that good.

Sweet cherry pie Batman! Ah, then the rye rolls, fresh mint, caraway, rock candy, grape jam and oak. I hate that I caved and bought this. I hate that I’m a closer Willett fan-boy. The label is misleading as @TheWhiskeyJug points out on his (awesome) website. The concept of rock music making whiskey better likely all BS. The price, outrageous. The nose is clearly a Willett rye and wine cask lovechild. The longer it sits the more the cherries jubilee fades and the more the Willett rye backbone comes out. There is an over-oaked IW Harper 15 note that I don’t care for but isn’t bad. Oh. Oh dang. Dang, dang, [other actual expletives]. That is perhaps the best mouthfeel if any whiskey I’ve tried. It’s heavy. It’s thick. Clearly wine driven because Willett 4 and 7y rye don’t land like this. Palate follows the nose. Rich, cherry pie, thick Madagascar vanilla paste, cloves, allspice, anise… somewhere mid-palate a pleasant nuttiness and yeasty note from the casks shines through along with raspberry and maybe even a bit of strawberry… and then it finishes forever with salted caramel, cherry pie and a bouquet of spice and herbs. I still hate the price, and the label, and the pseudo fan-boy hype over Willett products (that rest on the laurels of what is likely old Heaven Hill before the stills fired back up). They are doing some things very right though. This is sweet, bright, lightly tannic and nutty, has a heavy body and finishes forever. I hate that I might buy another one…

I was afraid I might like this one. Afraid because I hate celebrity garbage. And this has the added distinction of whiskey pseudoscience, what with the playing of music for the barrels and all. I've avoided trying the regular Blackened for that reason. But then Willett had to partner with them and give them some respectability. So @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington generously obliged my interest in trying this one. The nose is full of cherry and vanilla, with the rye notes hanging out a layer or two below. The palate hits first with the sweet wine. Not sure how Madeira differs from Port, but it reminds a lot initially of Midwinter Night's Dram. Then the Willett rye flavors come in and swirl with the fruity wine notes. It's like a better version of MWND. When I had them on hand, I actually made a poorish man's version of this, using MWND and Willett 4 year rye. Not the same level of goodness, but it wasn't bad. This is really well done, and I'll be strongly tempted to buy this if I come across it. Thank you BOL for the opportunity to try this!

Nose: Heavy citrus, maple syrup, dark fruits, piecrust, burnt sugar, and salted caramel. Taste: caramel, baking spices, maple syrup, black pepper, ending with nutmeg and heat. Experience: hanging behind a fall fairground's main stage at night. The air is cool and a bit damp with all the smells of caramel apple, baked goods, spiced nuts, alcohol, and machine oils mixed together. It's a lot all at once but somehow it all works well together, you breath it all in as muted base notes echo from the other side of the stage, it's a good night. This isn't your standard celebrity whiskey, effort and care was put into it first by the late Dave Pickerel and now by the fine folks at Willett. It's a bit steep at $150.00 (or more) but most whiskey is running higher than normal. I think it is unique and good enough that if you are a fan of Willett, Metallica, Madeira, or Dave, you won't be disappointed.

The color is a deep, golden amber, leaving generous traces of oil on the glass with every movement as legs stream the sides. The nose is sweet with wine but balanced by the spiciness of the rye. Charred oak follows along with touches of vanilla, fresh flowers and a hint of bacon fat. The palate is luscious and full of Madeira sweetness wrapped in rye spice. Charred oak comes in on top of it all with subtle creaminess along with it. With each sip you want to swirl it around all corners of your mouth and chew on it, and the whiskey let’s you do that as even though it is cask strength, it is very gentle on you. You are left chewing even after you have swallowed your sip. If Madeira was a liquor, this is what it would taste like. The finish is long and chewy with a lasting intermingled taste of sweetness and spice with oakiness lingering in the background.