Willett Family Estate Single Barrel 6 Year Rye – Gordon’s Pick #2409
Specs
ABV: 58.6%
Age: 6 Years
Recipe: 74% rye, 11% corn, 15% malted barley
Distiller: Willett
Country/Region: USA/Kentucky
Price Paid (MSRP): $80 ($80)
Tasting Notes
Nose: Mint, cinnamon candies, clove, lemon, brown sugar, dill, pine, and anise.
Palate: Medium mouth feel, oily with a good weight, spearmint galore, black pepper, more pine and some juniper. All sorts of baking spices: allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and anise. There’s some caramel candy and a great oak presence to round it out. Ultimately it’s a remarkably lively palate that still manages to drink under proof.
Finish: Long length, big pop of spearmint spice with a little heat and cinnamon behind it, faint dill, and a bit more oak. The mint is the star of the show and lingers forever.
Rating: 88/100 – Excellent | Really quite exceptional
I love Willett’s profile and I love mint forward ryes. I’ve found that Willett’s 4 year rye seems to swing wildly between heavy dill or mint influence depending on the batch. They’re always a great buy when you can find them, but some batches are a cut above. This 6 year pick though takes the best of those minty bottles and kicks it up a notch. It’s an herbal rye drinker’s rye but with a lovely candied sweetness to it. The oak has more of a presence here than the younger releases and lends depth, but still hasn’t become a driving note. I really can’t wait to see how this distillate evolves as it reaches 8 or even 10 years.
