A while back, Rosemary and I had lunch at the Willett Distillery. Drew Kulsveen joined us for drinks after we had eaten and gifted us this bottle of his wheat recipe Bourbon. It has an eight year age statement on the label, but Drew told us the whiskey was actually ten years old. They had the label for eight years old from a previous release, but he did not think the whiskey was ready at that year and let it age for two more years. It is excellent Bourbon and reminds me a lot of the old Stitzel-Weller Bourbon. Matt and I tasted it the other day and we decided it was the best whiskey we had drank for the month of July. Here are our tasting notes.
Willett Eight Year Old Wheat Recipe Bourbon
Proof: 108
Age: Eight Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, dates, prunes, apricots, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Chocolate, cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg –It smells of a fresh Kentucky garden.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and dates and cardamom spice joins the party. Tasted with a pecan and chocolate comes forward in a big way at the cost of the spices.
- Matt: Chocolate, prunes, nutmeg and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out lemonade and cherries. The pecan gave it the flavor of a chocolate covered cherry, with lots of chocolate, vanilla and cherry flavor.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak wood, cinnamon, and lingering caramel. The dried cranberry added dried fruits to the finish. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood and chocolate.
- Matt: Long with oak wood, prune and cinnamon. The dried cranberry added cherry fruit to the finish. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood, chocolate and lingering vanilla.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a My Father The Judge cigar. The vanilla and chocolate in the smoke will enhance the vanilla and chocolate in the Bourbon.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller