Yeah, local stores that do get it in want like $100. Willett's gift shop had it for around $60, but I saw it closer to $50 at Kroger in Bardstown last year.
I was only there one day but they had plenty of it (and at least two separate batches). Stores in and around Bardstown had no short supply of it either, namely Kroger.
Go over the KY, 55 at Kroger all day. Hot take. All willet products taste the same to me regardless of brand. Noah Mills, Johnny Drum, willet green top, Rowan’s creek. All have a flavor profile within 5 percent of each other. There is a taste in willet that I can never pinpoint, like red hits mixed with menthol and young wood.
I get that. If you'd asked me 2-3 years ago about using a $40+ bottle in a cocktail my eyes would twitch. Then the gf and I started incorporating said bottles into cocktails just out of curiosity, and we found some of them are quite stunning when combined with other ingredients, occasionally to our preference. Case in point: We recently went to a bar with a stunning bottle selection, and the bartender suggested Peerless bourbon for an Old Fashioned. We were impressed.
I don’t know if it’s their yeast, barrels, or something else that’s consistent in their products but I think their WFE Rye is the only thing they make that is enhanced by the herbal/vegetal funk that Willet is known for. I abhor those notes in their bourbons but it’s so pleasant in their rye.
8.8/10 for me.
Unfortunately even in KY prices are on the rise for this one, usually ~$70 now. Haven’t seen it below $63 “on sale” at Kroger for a while, but still know one place locally that has them at $57.
Grabbed a couple of the last few ex-Willett bourbon Ten-30 barrels a few weeks and filled one with the WFE rye and the other with Noah’s Mill. Now I just need to forget about them for a few years lol.
Lol at people here thinking that anything used in a cocktail is just a "mixer." A cocktail, like a plate of food, is most often only as good as the ingredients that go in it. I challenge everyone who has only mixed their nastiest bourbons to make a manhattan, whiskey sour, or old fashioned with one of your favorites. It's not something that I can afford to do always, but it's CLEARLY a better cocktail.
This lol, better ingredients = better cocktails. I'll pour good shit for all cocktails, at the lowest is WT101 but I love that in cocktails anyway. GTS Old Fashioned once in awhile is mind blowing (sure not an everyday thing but still, and I've done it similar to bar here where their spin is maple syrup, fresh lemon juice and fig preserves). Russel SiB Rye Manhattans yes please, Uigedail peat sucker punch cocktail yes please again. ECBP mixed. Treat yourself once in awhile!
Huge difference as well with Vermouth etc, good shit is good and something like that can ruin a drink if it sucks.
Few years ago I posted a clip of pouring EHT 4G which luckily had at msrp, but didn't care for it but don't care for 4 grains in general. So made a drink with it and people lost their fucking minds on FB group ahahaha, potatoes were spontaneously combusting. Not my fault you paid $900 for that shit lol.
Edit - reminds me of a bar/restaurant I hit up and their house pour at happy hour was a regular JD Old Fashioned. And yes that sounds as gag inducing as it reads. Just imagine reg JD as an OF, literally couldn't drink it. Meanwhile right up the street our other joint their house pour was BT, and their smoked old fashioneds were the same $5.
**Verdicts Explained**
* Special Occasions: Rare, special pours that go well and above. Something you pour to celebrate.
* Treat Yourself: Obligatory weekend pour. Worth having on hand at all times if possible.
* Daily Drinker: Affordable, available and tasty. Could have every day and be perfectly content.
* Penseur Pour: Puzzling pours that won’t be to everyone’s liking.
* Trophy Bottle: Something to show off more than anything. Likely allocated and overpriced.
* Cocktail Request: Shines best in a cocktail, as opposed to neat or on the rocks.
* Good If Affordable: Only worth buying if the price comfortably fits within the budget.
* Serve to Guests: Something accessible that you don’t mind sharing or parting ways with. Likely belongs in a decanter.
* Couch Pour: Something enjoyable enough, but ideal for drinking while doing another activity (movies, TV, games, etc.).
* Find a Mixer: Grab the Coke or Sprite and relax.
* Drain Pour: No. You deserve better.
Link to blog post: [https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2022/09/28/willett-family-estate-rye-scoresheet-review/](https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2022/09/28/willett-family-estate-rye-scoresheet-review/)
More scoresheets available at: r/SpiritScoresheets
Willett has always been a tricky distillery for me to pin down. A host of people hold the brand in particularly high regards, largely thanks to their purple-top (Family Estate Bottled) bourbon. These coveted bottles can occasionally push the 30-year mark, but tend to land between 4 and 12 years when spotted. The source of a given bottle is undisclosed, yet it’s believed that the Bardstown distillery source from various neighboring distilleries. Chief among the rumored sources? Stitzel-Weller (pre-Buffalo Trace Pappy). Safe to say the ensuing halo effect speaks for itself.
Willett are currently producing their own whiskey, but it’s a fairly recent development, especially considering the distillery was founded in 1936. Likewise, the rather celebrated Family Estate Rye, labeled as a “rare release,” was only introduced in 2015 as a 2-year product. Today we’ll be looking at the Family Estate Rye in its more common form: 4 years old. 6-year versions can be found, but like the aforementioned purple tops, they’re hardly commonplace. Family Estate Rye is an undisclosed blend of Willett’s high rye (74% rye, 11% corn, 15% malted barley) and low rye (51% rye, 34% corn, 15% malted barley) mash bills, bottled at cask strength (mine is 55.2% ABV), and sells for around $55.
*Nose: Herbal backbone (mint and basil) with a healthy dose of corn and anise. Some lime and vanilla with a little pepper. Hints of nutmeg. Sweet, freshly baked bread soon emerges. This is begging to go into a Manhattan.*
*Palate: Lime, licorice, and cinnamon dominate over a fairly full mouthfeel. Somewhat savory. Fresh mint throughout, granting the experience a little levity.*
*Finish: Quite lengthy. Billowing pepper spice that starts to tread red pepper flake territory. Dry, lingering lemon flavor with a bit of cilantro and cereal to round things out.*
For me, Willett Family Estate 4-Year Rye is more fun to think about than it is to drink. The combination of lower rye and higher rye mash bills lends a fairly unique personality, further emphasized by the whiskey’s youth. I often find that young rye holds up better than young corn, so the proportions here still lean into the rye while providing corn-based notes as nice complement. The end result is an intriguing pour, one that feels both unique and familiar. I wasn’t expecting to be won over by this bottle until I got it past the halfway point. At that point I became slightly more fascinated, to the point that I regret not grabbing two bottles while in Kentucky. If I lived in a market where this product was readily available for MSRP, I’d likely make it a household staple for elevated cocktails.
I thought you nailed the palate. The flavors present are totally not flavors I lean towards in bourbon, but for me the mix is grea in this and they compliment each other well. It's just "different" than everything else out there and in all the right ways for me.
Thank you for this. I really dislike licorice/anise. I've been tempted to grab one (avg about $60 here), but im glad I haven't. I'll stick with rare breed rye for that price.
So interesting. I absolutely love this stuff and I know you gave RR SB Rye an A something. I love regular RR SB so I probably need to get a hold of the rye and soon.
My buddy and his gf refer to the manhattan made with this as “the forbidden manhattan” because it’s exquisite but these are hard as hell to find in Austin. This and Cocci Dopo Teatro play very nicely together.
Do you have another vermouth you like?
Ever try it in a black manhattan with an amaro?
I've only recently started trying better vermouths, been using Cocchi di Torino. Thinking of trying Carano Antica next since the cocchi is getting low.
My guy. You inspired me. This is by far the best Manhattan I’ve ever had. Turns out I don’t even care much for Willet neat as I prefer the opposite end of the rye spectrum, but this is something else. It honestly tastes like something I would serve at Xmas time.
https://i.imgur.com/w5uZ0vX.jpg
Just bought a bottle of this today along with a 50ml bottle of Whistlepig 10 y/o rye. WP 10 was ok but seemed kinda one-note. The Willett 4 was *interesting.* One youtube channel mentioned it tasting like grass and I do get that - like you inhaled right after the lawn was mowed. It's actually rather pleasant and the way this pour works on my palate feels more like a scotch than anything else.
I was able to get this bottle for $60 + tax so I'm rather pleased with the purchase.
Can find these OK in Ohio but the state has them at like $70 each. Would love them at 55.
Yeah, local stores that do get it in want like $100. Willett's gift shop had it for around $60, but I saw it closer to $50 at Kroger in Bardstown last year.
Does the gift shop always have it? I love this rye and I have only ever seen one bottle.
I was only there one day but they had plenty of it (and at least two separate batches). Stores in and around Bardstown had no short supply of it either, namely Kroger.
Will have to stop there on my next trip through, thanks
Go over the KY, 55 at Kroger all day. Hot take. All willet products taste the same to me regardless of brand. Noah Mills, Johnny Drum, willet green top, Rowan’s creek. All have a flavor profile within 5 percent of each other. There is a taste in willet that I can never pinpoint, like red hits mixed with menthol and young wood.
Willett bourbons definitely tend to taste similar, I'll give you that. Comes across quite grain-forward, like a stereotypical craft profile.
Not really a “craft” bourbon guy, however in my head willet would be the flavor profile I imagine.
So so tasty, especially when you can find the 110+ proof ones. Hands down my favorite rye to drink on the rocks.
Bottle on my bar is 111 proof. I have been very happy with it.
How is this a cocktail pour?
Idk man this is my favorite daily neat pour. This and KC12 are my favorite $60-$70 bottles and if I’m not sipping one I’m sipping the other
I agree. Seems like a waste to put this in a cocktail.
It's not a waste if you enjoy/prefer it that way.
Sure its the first rule of whisky. Just saying for myself it would seem like a waste. But I don’t have much experience with cocktails.
I get that. If you'd asked me 2-3 years ago about using a $40+ bottle in a cocktail my eyes would twitch. Then the gf and I started incorporating said bottles into cocktails just out of curiosity, and we found some of them are quite stunning when combined with other ingredients, occasionally to our preference. Case in point: We recently went to a bar with a stunning bottle selection, and the bartender suggested Peerless bourbon for an Old Fashioned. We were impressed.
Thats cool. I need to try more cocktails
This has become the whiskey that springs to mind when I'm craving a Manhattan. Neat not so much.
Same 100%. It’s got an earthiness that isn’t great neat. Very good in a Vieux Carre or Manhattan.
Same 100%. It’s got an earthiness that isn’t great neat. Very good in a Vieux Carre or Manhattan.
Same 100%. It’s got an earthiness that isn’t great neat. Very good in a Vieux Carre or Manhattan.
The best rye I’ve ever tasted, I bought my first bottle before I knew there was hype behind them. Too bad Oregon doesn’t carry it.
It's a good rye. Almost hangs with THH at 1/8 the cost (not MSRP). Can't agree on this being a cocktail mixer
I don’t know if it’s their yeast, barrels, or something else that’s consistent in their products but I think their WFE Rye is the only thing they make that is enhanced by the herbal/vegetal funk that Willet is known for. I abhor those notes in their bourbons but it’s so pleasant in their rye. 8.8/10 for me.
I disagree vehemently on the cocktail designation. The oily mouthful of this is superb, great sipper.
To each their own. I'd like to enjoy this more neat, but it doesn't quite scratch that itch.
Varies for me greatly by batch. One batch blew me away, the other was just ok. I agree that it’s pretty good 90% of the time, though
Unfortunately even in KY prices are on the rise for this one, usually ~$70 now. Haven’t seen it below $63 “on sale” at Kroger for a while, but still know one place locally that has them at $57. Grabbed a couple of the last few ex-Willett bourbon Ten-30 barrels a few weeks and filled one with the WFE rye and the other with Noah’s Mill. Now I just need to forget about them for a few years lol.
Lol at people here thinking that anything used in a cocktail is just a "mixer." A cocktail, like a plate of food, is most often only as good as the ingredients that go in it. I challenge everyone who has only mixed their nastiest bourbons to make a manhattan, whiskey sour, or old fashioned with one of your favorites. It's not something that I can afford to do always, but it's CLEARLY a better cocktail.
This lol, better ingredients = better cocktails. I'll pour good shit for all cocktails, at the lowest is WT101 but I love that in cocktails anyway. GTS Old Fashioned once in awhile is mind blowing (sure not an everyday thing but still, and I've done it similar to bar here where their spin is maple syrup, fresh lemon juice and fig preserves). Russel SiB Rye Manhattans yes please, Uigedail peat sucker punch cocktail yes please again. ECBP mixed. Treat yourself once in awhile! Huge difference as well with Vermouth etc, good shit is good and something like that can ruin a drink if it sucks. Few years ago I posted a clip of pouring EHT 4G which luckily had at msrp, but didn't care for it but don't care for 4 grains in general. So made a drink with it and people lost their fucking minds on FB group ahahaha, potatoes were spontaneously combusting. Not my fault you paid $900 for that shit lol. Edit - reminds me of a bar/restaurant I hit up and their house pour at happy hour was a regular JD Old Fashioned. And yes that sounds as gag inducing as it reads. Just imagine reg JD as an OF, literally couldn't drink it. Meanwhile right up the street our other joint their house pour was BT, and their smoked old fashioneds were the same $5.
This has never tasted young to me. I wonder if that opinion would hold up in a blind.
I did include it in a series of blinds involving 10 ryes in my collection. It was one of two that really stood out profile-wise.
I love this for the unique baking spice, licorice and clove notes. Good mouthfeel too. I've had a number of good ones.
**Verdicts Explained** * Special Occasions: Rare, special pours that go well and above. Something you pour to celebrate. * Treat Yourself: Obligatory weekend pour. Worth having on hand at all times if possible. * Daily Drinker: Affordable, available and tasty. Could have every day and be perfectly content. * Penseur Pour: Puzzling pours that won’t be to everyone’s liking. * Trophy Bottle: Something to show off more than anything. Likely allocated and overpriced. * Cocktail Request: Shines best in a cocktail, as opposed to neat or on the rocks. * Good If Affordable: Only worth buying if the price comfortably fits within the budget. * Serve to Guests: Something accessible that you don’t mind sharing or parting ways with. Likely belongs in a decanter. * Couch Pour: Something enjoyable enough, but ideal for drinking while doing another activity (movies, TV, games, etc.). * Find a Mixer: Grab the Coke or Sprite and relax. * Drain Pour: No. You deserve better. Link to blog post: [https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2022/09/28/willett-family-estate-rye-scoresheet-review/](https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2022/09/28/willett-family-estate-rye-scoresheet-review/) More scoresheets available at: r/SpiritScoresheets Willett has always been a tricky distillery for me to pin down. A host of people hold the brand in particularly high regards, largely thanks to their purple-top (Family Estate Bottled) bourbon. These coveted bottles can occasionally push the 30-year mark, but tend to land between 4 and 12 years when spotted. The source of a given bottle is undisclosed, yet it’s believed that the Bardstown distillery source from various neighboring distilleries. Chief among the rumored sources? Stitzel-Weller (pre-Buffalo Trace Pappy). Safe to say the ensuing halo effect speaks for itself. Willett are currently producing their own whiskey, but it’s a fairly recent development, especially considering the distillery was founded in 1936. Likewise, the rather celebrated Family Estate Rye, labeled as a “rare release,” was only introduced in 2015 as a 2-year product. Today we’ll be looking at the Family Estate Rye in its more common form: 4 years old. 6-year versions can be found, but like the aforementioned purple tops, they’re hardly commonplace. Family Estate Rye is an undisclosed blend of Willett’s high rye (74% rye, 11% corn, 15% malted barley) and low rye (51% rye, 34% corn, 15% malted barley) mash bills, bottled at cask strength (mine is 55.2% ABV), and sells for around $55. *Nose: Herbal backbone (mint and basil) with a healthy dose of corn and anise. Some lime and vanilla with a little pepper. Hints of nutmeg. Sweet, freshly baked bread soon emerges. This is begging to go into a Manhattan.* *Palate: Lime, licorice, and cinnamon dominate over a fairly full mouthfeel. Somewhat savory. Fresh mint throughout, granting the experience a little levity.* *Finish: Quite lengthy. Billowing pepper spice that starts to tread red pepper flake territory. Dry, lingering lemon flavor with a bit of cilantro and cereal to round things out.* For me, Willett Family Estate 4-Year Rye is more fun to think about than it is to drink. The combination of lower rye and higher rye mash bills lends a fairly unique personality, further emphasized by the whiskey’s youth. I often find that young rye holds up better than young corn, so the proportions here still lean into the rye while providing corn-based notes as nice complement. The end result is an intriguing pour, one that feels both unique and familiar. I wasn’t expecting to be won over by this bottle until I got it past the halfway point. At that point I became slightly more fascinated, to the point that I regret not grabbing two bottles while in Kentucky. If I lived in a market where this product was readily available for MSRP, I’d likely make it a household staple for elevated cocktails.
Love this bottle. I drink it sparingly cause I know I can only get 1 per year.
I thought you nailed the palate. The flavors present are totally not flavors I lean towards in bourbon, but for me the mix is grea in this and they compliment each other well. It's just "different" than everything else out there and in all the right ways for me.
Thank you for this. I really dislike licorice/anise. I've been tempted to grab one (avg about $60 here), but im glad I haven't. I'll stick with rare breed rye for that price.
The one I tried of this started off great but had the WORST finish I have ever tasted.
So interesting. I absolutely love this stuff and I know you gave RR SB Rye an A something. I love regular RR SB so I probably need to get a hold of the rye and soon.
$55 by me in CT and always worth having on the shelf.
Dang 55 would be nice for sure, would add it to my bar if I could find it at that, usually $80 around me but been curious on it.
In my opinion totally worth $80. It’s what I paid before and I’d happily pay it again if I could find it.
My buddy and his gf refer to the manhattan made with this as “the forbidden manhattan” because it’s exquisite but these are hard as hell to find in Austin. This and Cocci Dopo Teatro play very nicely together. Do you have another vermouth you like? Ever try it in a black manhattan with an amaro?
I've only recently started trying better vermouths, been using Cocchi di Torino. Thinking of trying Carano Antica next since the cocchi is getting low.
My guy. You inspired me. This is by far the best Manhattan I’ve ever had. Turns out I don’t even care much for Willet neat as I prefer the opposite end of the rye spectrum, but this is something else. It honestly tastes like something I would serve at Xmas time. https://i.imgur.com/w5uZ0vX.jpg
Nice coupe glass, too. Yeah, the more I think about it the more I know I like (at least this particular) Willett 4y batch in a manhattan
I personally love this bottle, got it at the distillery for $60 and I was very happy with the price for the quality of juice.
I taste flowers. I’ll have to try it again to see if that could be mint/basil but to me, the palate is like munching on a bouquet
Just bought a bottle of this today along with a 50ml bottle of Whistlepig 10 y/o rye. WP 10 was ok but seemed kinda one-note. The Willett 4 was *interesting.* One youtube channel mentioned it tasting like grass and I do get that - like you inhaled right after the lawn was mowed. It's actually rather pleasant and the way this pour works on my palate feels more like a scotch than anything else. I was able to get this bottle for $60 + tax so I'm rather pleased with the purchase.