Willet 25yo Rye Barrel 1372

Willet Distillery

I recently visited Willet Distillery. Willet distillery was founded on a farm outside Bardstown in 1935 by Thompson Willet, and operated until the early 80's. The property of the distillery was purchased by the founders son-in-law, Even G Kulsveen and the world was introduced to a company called Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. KBD operates as what us scotch drinkers would call an independent bottler, which is buying whiskey from other distilleries and then maturing and bottling it until they find it to be right time. I was told by their distillery staff that they actually went one step further than this, by actually sending their own staff into other distilleries and producing their own make. A bit similar to a ghost brewery like Mikkeler!

Until now that is. Willet Distillery reopened here in 2012

Willet Distillery. The Tower hosts the column still

Bottom of the column still

Willet Potstill

Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries are behind many labels of bourbons and ryes. If you see a label, that you can't obviously connect to a real specific distillery, chances are great, that the whiskey was bottled by or sourced through KBD. 

The Willet itself is just one of very many KBD labels. It's a range of single casks bourbon and ryes in all imaginable ages and should be considered a KBD top shelf product. So far this has proved to be one of my favourite ranges.

1. Willet Rye Barrel #1372 25yo 47%

Distilled 10th May 1983

 I found a bottle of this at Limburg festival. Limburg is an abundance whisky. Thousands of bottlings. But not much bourbon. I reckon I was able to locate just a handful of bottles. This was one of them, and the sample bottle was all the stand had. Not possible to purchase a bottle. But I talked them into to selling me the dreg, probably around a third of a bottle.

 The colour is dark, even for a bourbon. The first thing that meets me is this fantastic floor varnish old liquid wood nose with a notable rye hint in the background. Simply fantastic and one of those legendary noses you just can sit back and sniff forever. 

 The palate is magnificient complex....

It's dry in a sense like the whiskey is jumpings off your tongue. Licorise, oriental flowers, floral rye spicyness, perfumes, all on a background of loads of heavy delicate wood and floor varnish. 

Almost all the taste sensation is at the very back of your mouth and tongue, which is typical of old and well matured whisk(e)ys. This is a dram to savour. One of those to drink laid back with eyes closed. It's like being in heaven for a few seconds. It's a constant conflict between nosing and drinking as I really just wants to sit and nose this forever, but I also wants to sit and drink this forever. This is a prime example why I think ryes really first comes to its greatness at older ages, where the spicyness and woodyness can blend into a magnificient balance of fantastic flavours.

Rating 94

Willet

Kentucky Bourbon Distillers is sort of what we (us scotch drinkers) would call an independent bottler. Sourcing casks from distilleries and bottling them

There's a little difference. Willet is actual the name of a distillery, which was working from the mid thirties up to the early eighties.

There's a scandinavian connection to the Willet distillery. Even Kulsveen, a native norwegian, and son-in-law to Thompson Willet, purchased the property, founded KBD in 1984. The distillery has reopened  this year. But inbetween the Willet name has lived on as a range of bottlings. Hard to your hands on in Denmark, but I succeded in finding a couple of excellent bottlings in my holiday travels

Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbon
13yo 62% Barrel no. 3718
Distilled 14. May 1996

This is one of the most well balanced and complex bourbons I have tried. Wood, Syrupsweetness, Vanilla, Nuts, Caramel, Butterscotch it's all there in perfect harmony. The whisky is thick and oily like a wooden custard cream. The high ABV is only slightly felt. Delicious

Rating 91


Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Rye
25yo 47% Barrel no. 1372
Distilled 10. May 1983

The typical floor varnish I usually get in old ryes is toned down and spiced up to a delicious nose, with only a hint of the classical rye spicyness. The balance is great. The palate is a wood explosion dryness with a thick layer of orange flavours accompanied by a hint of nuts. The wood is very dominating but the whiskey is very delicate still. Woodylicious with a fantastic caramelcandy finish

Rating 89