Lots of spice notes coming through, including cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and even hotter notes like cumin. Dark chocolate, espresso bean, can also be found on the nose. An interesting background of freshly cute pine and mint are also evident throughout. The heat from the cask strength offering coupled with the lively spice profile is instantly warming. The pine notes are present on the tip of the tongue, with a touch of mint and chocolate malt mingling with the other spice flavors. Finishes bold and long. The spice, including licorice / anise persist longer than the pine and mint notes, with the grip and grit of a 2 year old rye providing rich tannins throughout the finish. To some whiskey critics, the 2- to 3-year old window for rye whiskey gives rise to some of the best rye. The Willett 2 year rye provides a tone of flavor and aromas, in near perfect combination; its bold aromas are matched by a cask strength bottling at 110.8 proof.
About this bottle
The Willett Estate in Bardstown, Kentucy originally began producing whiskey in 1937, but, during the Oil Crisis of the 1970s, the distillery was utilized to produce ethanol to compensate for the fuel shortage. Following the crisis, the distillery produced whiskey for some time, and then transitioned to sourcing and bottling whiskey both for its own labels (Rowan's Creek, Noah's Mill, Willett Pot Still Reserve, etc.) and others' (Black Maple Hill, Michter's, among others). The Two-Year Rye, released in 2014, is the first estate-produced whiskey to emerge from the distillery in about three decades. Bottled at 54.7% ABV.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 14 parsed reviews.
55.4% ABV | Nose - Sweet fruity vanilla, sweet minty/cherry candies, berry gummies, sweet herbs, candied ginger, cherry Twizzlers. Taste - Sweet herbal vanilla, ginger/cinnamon spice, sweet melon, sweet orange zest, sweet mint/herbal syrup. Finish - Lingering sweet herbal/fruity/vanilla, light bitterness, cinnamon/ginger spice lingers. Score - 78/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very interesting rye in that the nose seems all over the place, but the dominating feature is sweet. It's like a strange sweet herbal/fruit/spice on the nose that's very difficult to pinpoint the components. The mouth is similar although it's dominated by a "general" sweetness although a berry/herbal sweet dominates. The finish is also a bit strange as I get this slightly sweet, mildly medicinal finish that doesn't really scream "rye" to me. Interesting enough, but I think this might be delegated to "try to identify this" pours or cocktails.
I generally like to poop on Willett because their pricing is about as silly as how intentionally mysterious their products are, but I don't mind this all that much. It's about what you would expect from a two year rye and, apart from being too expensive--which is to be expected--this is pretty decent. Looking forward to the coming years that will hopefully allow them to price these things accordingly, fancy coat of arms be damned.
The first of the Family Estate Rye which I first tasted years ago. Ahhh, I remember it like it was yesterday. Blackberry Cobbler on my paps farm, red and white checkered picnic table cloth, smooth spread across my tongue into my tum. Cheer for all my fans.
Last dram from a bottle that's been open way too long. Hot nose, slightly herbal. Orange and clove, nice long fall spice finish resolves on the sweeter side. Great young rye. Classy WFE presentation.
Surprisingly decent amount of oak on the nose. Good mouthfeel with lots of spice and black pepper on palate. Finish comes with a strong bite on the back end.
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