Willett Family Estate Bourbon Barrel 2132 “Stop and Smell the Roses"
Willett Family Estate Bourbon Barrel 2132: Specs
Classification: Penelope 4-Grain Bourbon (From MGP in IN and Castle & Key Distillery in KY)
Origin: WIllet Distillery
Proof: 104 (52% ABV) (My sample - proofs vary by batch)
Age: NAS
Willet Family Estate Bourbon: Tasting Notes
Eye: Cola dark, almost opaque. Medium, unstable rims and few legs, droplets all over the glass.
Nose: Bear with me on this…a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich on white bread with a little more jelly than peanut butter. It’s rare I get such a concrete sensory memory so quickly, but damn this hits each of these profiles on the money. Dark, dark dried fruits - figs, dates - and a HUGE body on the nose.
Palate: Some heat up front, but otherwise stays true to the nose. Cola syrup joins the palate as do mulling spices, especially clove, cinnamon, and star anise. I kept thinking it would veer too sweet, but the spices and proof hold it in balance. Mouthfeel is coating, and the body feels perfect, not too syrupy or too light. Chew opens the spices up more and dark fruits, too.
Finish: Long finish is PX-driven, syrupy, sweet, with no heat and a great spice burst like the end of a fireworks show.
Overall: An excellent example of finishing bourbons and American whiskies. Let’s face it, finishing - especially Sherry - has a long history in Scotland and other parts of the world, but it’s fairly new to the American whiskey milieu. I’ve had over-finished, under-finished, all over the map, and this is easily a top three placement in the category. I could drink this for days quite happily.
Final Rating: 8.1
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
More Bourbon Reviews
