Willett Family Estate 4 Year Old Small Batch Rare Release Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml) - 55.8% bottling

Smells and drinks like a whiskey twice its price.

Sourced whiskeys bottled under the Willett Small Batch label have been so popular that in 2017, the company had to temporarily suspend their private barrel program due to overwhelming demand. But while Willett have built a cult reputation as a first-rate indie bottler, there’s now another side to the business. Recently, Willett has started to distill themselves, something they haven't done since the early 1980s. New releases include limited offerings of their very own young rye and bourbon. The remarkable quality, affordability and limited nature of these new official Willett bottlings means they will be on collector's radars moreso than ever before. Now is the time to buy. We have secured tiny allocations of two small batch four year old ryes. Both are unbelievable American whiskey gems and come with the highest recommendation. Readers should note that these whiskeys remain limited to around twelve barrels per run. Because “Small batch” is not a legally defined term in US whiskey regulation, many respected “small batch” brands are actually composed from hundreds or thousands of barrels, which helps to ‘lose’ sub-quality barrels in the blend. It explains why Willett are more than a little fanatical about wood selection, and you can sense it in the smell and taste. The barrels used here have obviously been selected by a producer at the very top of their game.

Tasting note: [tasted from a near empty bottle] Bright topaz. Not your run of the mill rye bouquet, rather something quite special captured here; dill, caraway, aniseed, white pepper, pencil shavings and perhaps a touch of green apple before a rye bread character comes to the fore. Peppery oak on entry. The oily rye development is sheer perfection, harmonising with fanning spices in a delivery that's so soft and rounded for its ABV, it defies belief. Finish turns 360 degrees becoming buttery, oaky and fat while the aftertaste is chewy, grainy, and laced with aniseed and peppermint. Tasted on two occasions it shows different angles. You could debate the length, otherwise Willett hit the jackpot with a whiskey that nails the rye category - and more - for an unbelievable price. 55.8% Alc./Vol