Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon 6 Year

Liquor Barn “High Corn 1”, barrel # 8267, 124.4 proof Finally got my hands on this unicorn; a Willett purple top!!! Is it all it’s cracked up to be? Read on… Nose offers buttered popcorn, vanilla, caramel, soft oak, and a hint of barrel char. Ethanol almost non-existent. The popcorn note is nice, but I’m going to be honest here; the nose is a little muted. Palate opens with the buttered corn from the nose, followed by some rich vanilla, plum, date, raisin, black cherry, cookie dough, walnut, and what can best be described as “funk”. No, I have to do better than that description; the funk is earthy, musty, and sort of root vegetable. (Turnip? Rhubarb?) Whatever it is, it’s pretty addicting, and is what is driving repeated sips. Complex and punchy. Finish is sweet and spicy with cinnamon, pepper, baked apple, nutmeg, and burnt caramel. Definitely what I am looking for in a bourbon. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and effervescent, with some alcohol sizzle. I’d say this lives up to hype pretty darn well. I traded a 2021 RR13 bought at retail for this so my cost was 69.99. Retail is well over $100 with secondary reaching truly insane heights. Is it worth retail? Undoubtedly yes. Secondary? Is this writers opinion, no. But definitely top notch.

This is Barrell# 4751, Center Point Wine and Liquors pick. 127.6 Proof After chatting with the owner about bourbon and having been a loyal customer, we went to the back and brought this up. Let’s see how it is... The nose has vanilla, cinnamon, other banking spices. Very Christmas-like. Which reminds me of Rowan’s Creek and the Pot Still. But then there’s a dark fruit note a little further in, like plumb. The palate is hits you with those baking spices big time. It’s powerful, but not over powering like other Barrel proofers. Then it digs into the barrel and you get some nice oak notes. After a few sips I added some water, which it takes well. The finish is nice and long. You get that initial burn as it goes down and then the flavors linger on the tongue. Since this one is very reminiscent of other Willett offerings, I decided to compare it to the Pot Still and Rowan’s Creek. Obviously the Willett 6yr is much higher proof than the others, so it stands out there. But I found that Rowan’s Creek had some nice depth for being 50.05% abv. I think I like the Willett 6yr better, but I’ll have to see at another tasting.

Neat. Neck pour. Store pick. Intense amount of fruit on the front of the nose. Cherry and strawberries. Intense vanilla and toffee. Very little oak but a good amount of spice on the tail end. Thinner feel than I was expecting for a barrel proof. Extremely alcohol forward on the tongue. I don’t typically feel that much burn. Working around the alcohol and those fruit flavors dominate the tongue with their sweetness in combination with the spice. Burnt caramel. Intense cherry and vanilla. This is potent stuff. Intense flavors. Getting a deep chocolate on the legs now. Essentially a cherry cordial linking these flavors together. This is my first WFE Bourbon experience. The nose struck me as a bit generic at first and the alcohol forward nature was disappointing me. But the intense flavors throughout won me over big time. Really delicious. Left my mouth numb though. Loses points for that aspect, but I now understand the hype on these bottles.

Barrel 12K09-2136 Warehouse A Floor 2 Rick 11 Barrel date - 11/9/12 Bottle date - 7/5/19 BTL 50/58 124.8 Proof Neck pour in Norlan, sitting for 15 minutes. Splash of water. Sticky sweet honey and vanilla up front. Notes of lemon and orange zest, dark chocolate, black plums, nutmeg and cinnamon each meld beautifully with each other. Cherry cola notes linger as well. Very seamless nose if not a little tame for the proof . Honey and vanilla jump out first followed by notes of fruity pastry. Think pear tart with some whipped cream on top. But before these sweet notes take over, you get a nice hit of oak char and pumpkin pie spice. Mouthfeel is superb with great viscosity and weight. What stands out most to me in this bourbon is the finish, dominated by chocolate malted milk balls and vanilla that goes on for minutes. Absolutely stellar and memorable. First WFE, quite impressed with all they packed in this bottle in 6+ years.

Very unique bourbon. Had a small taste, but it is unlike anything I’ve had before. Very light, herbal nose but palate is very dry grape and medicinal. Would need another dram to get more notes, but it’s definitely unique. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

6 Year 62% Alc/ Vol Barrel 2064 21C Private Selection Nose: cinnamon, but overall all else was light on the nose, nothing jumping out The proof fills your mouth in a pleasant way The finish more cinnamon, lingering It was okay...hoped for more complexity, more of the fruitiness, and or sweetness, more caramel, more oak...Did not poses what I really enjoy in a whiskey