Willett Family Estate Small Batch Rye 4 Year

I'm a devoted rye head and have been since before rye was on the upswing. I love that fruity-spicy combination that it can provide. The depth and breadth of flavors available in rye is only matched by the enormity of variation in barley malt whiskey... and even then... This isn't my first bottle of this whiskey. I was gifted a bottle of this expression several years back. I recall liking it, but not enough to re-up. A few cases sitting at my local Costco was too much of a temptation. Tasted here neat from a grappa copita as an adjunct to a black coffee. This is a favorite pairing of mine. On the nose its all classic rye notes. It's sweet with caramel, wood notes, hard candy (butterscotch and toffee), noughat, and black pepper. On the palate this is rich and creamy. I get Juicy Fruit gum, black pepper, wood tannins, creamy caramel, dill, grass and sweet cream. This is really easy to sip and is nicely complex. There's very little ethanol although this still has a punch. It's a rock in a velvet glove. It hides it 107+ proof extremely well without getting "in your face" like WTRBrye or KCSBrye is wont to do. Very good and a wonderful sipper, this makes a killer Manhattan when paired with a worthy vermouth. Vya sweet wasn't a good match, but my trusty Cocchi di Torino clicked into place easily. Carpano was a bit too over-the-top and the nature of this rye was lost. A Perfect Manhattan with a 50/50 of Dolin Dry and M&R sweet 2:1 with a couple dashes of Angostura was near perfect (see what I did there?) served up. All in all this is more a sipper than a cocktail rye. Nice in any application, it finds some very tough competition from the likes of Elijah Craig and Wild Turkey at substantially lower price points. I'm glad I bought the bottle, but i'm not sure I'll re-up with the plethora of aged ryes now coming on the market. At $55 this isn't a deal, but its a good bottle.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Minty and medicinal. Not sweet at all. Palate: Spicy and vegetal. Clove and baking spices and some peppery notes. Finish: Medium heat but very long. Splash: With the spicier notes muted, a very vegetal note comes through. It reminds me of asparagus, but in a good way. Overall: 7.5/10 - This isn't the Willet that people chase. This is their entry-level rye and it could be an example of what sets them apart from other ryes. It's different but I'm not sure I'd want to drink it every day.

So I immediately hated this. My pallet does not instinctively appreciate rye like it dows bourbon. However after a day or two I very much enjoyed it. Sweet, amazing oily mouth feel, with that sort of mild astringency and green/grass-y flavors that are so on the front of rye. Really glad I ended up trying it. Also am in an area that never has willet so seems like the bubble has burst cus this was at my local ABC!

Oilly texture on with a large spicy, herbal, slightly minty note with shades of vanilla, oak, and minimal caramel. This is a nice rye whisky if you are trying rye for the second or third time. I would not try this as an intro to Rye by any means. If you have more experience with high rye bourbon, this whiskey to me turns down the bourbon and cranks up the heat and the spice. Cheers!

Nose: Mint, bright brown sugar, citrus, and a hint if cinnamon. Palate: Anise, dill, vanilla, pepper, and apple towards the very back end. Long lasting finish. Overall: similar to my rye reviews, I found the nose much more intriguing than the pallet. The nose showed much sweeter flavors as the taste was much more spice forward. I still would reccomend this whiskey.

This is one of my go-to’s. Its fairly high proof (108.5) but having a glass or two of this at night is a great way to wind down. Lots of sweetness and oak on the nose, with hints of spices. The palate has tons of spice with a splash of green tea. The finish is nearly all spice with a but of oak and cherry coming through. Always worth a buy for me.