Last month I received this bottle of Willett Bourbon from the distillery. Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky is making some excellent whiskeys and this bourbon whiskey is no exception. Willett rye is one of the whiskeys that Matt credits as making him fall in love with whiskey, so we were looking forward to tasting this bourbon release from Willett. Here are our tasting notes.
Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
Proof: 127.4
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, marshmallows, apples, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, chocolate, mint, ginger and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, apples, lemon zest, nutmeg, ginger and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry enhanced the lemon zest and ginger. Tasted with a pecan enhanced the ginger and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, chocolate, mint, ginger and oak wood. The dried cranberry added cinnamon to the taste. The pecan enhanced the vanilla and chocolate.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, vanilla and apple. The dried cranberry made the finish longer and added ginger spice. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, chocolate and ginger.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and mint. The dried cranberry with oak wood, mint and cinnamon. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, chocolate and mint.
I would pair this fine bourbon whiskey with a Don Pepin Garcia Original cigar. The rich vanilla and cedar spice in the smoke would pair well with the vanilla and spice in the bourbon whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller