Willett Family Estate 4 Year Old Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml 55.9%
Willett's own rye, distilled in Bardstown and bottled at full strength. The one rye drinkers hunt for by name.
The bottle
The Kulsveen family have run Willett out of Bardstown, Kentucky since 1936. For years their Family Estate labels carried whiskey bought in from elsewhere. Then the stills came back to life, and this rye is the result: whiskey the family distilled and aged themselves.
It is a small batch, straight rye bottled at cask strength, with no water added to bring it down. Four years in new charred oak gives it real structure without burying the spice of the grain.
In the glass
- NoseRye bread, cracked pepper, fresh mint and orange peel
- PalateCinnamon and clove over caramel, with dried herbs and dark honey
- TextureOily and full, hot at first, opening up beautifully with a few drops of water
- FinishLong and dry, spiced oak and a lingering pepper warmth
Why it matters
Willett's rye is one of the most sought-after American whiskeys in the world and rarely sits on a shelf for long. For rye drinkers it is a benchmark. For bourbon drinkers it is the bottle that shows what rye can do at full strength.
Good to know
Strength varies slightly from batch to batch. The figure on your label is the one that counts.
