Willett 4 Year Family Estate

Review by: TOModera

Anyways, recently I’ve decided to get into some more bourbons and see what I like/dislike. Also have to work on finishing up that Chinese flag I have beside my name.

So when swapping with tvraisedme, who is amazing. I mean, I swapped with him and he even let me decide what kind of whisk(e)y. I said Rye, he sent me Rye. I could have said broken keyboard, and got a broken keyboard, but then what am I going to do while Thrift shopping.

And what a rye. Wow this was good. Going to have a hard time guessing.

Distillery: Willett Distillery (Sourced from LDI).

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Kentucky.

ABV: 55%.

Age: 4 years.

Cask type: Virgin Cask.

Price: N/A.

Color: Burnt orange.

Nose: Burnt oranges (not trying to make a joke, that was seriously the first thing I tried), malt, spices (mostly cardamom), grain, oats, burn

Oh wow, this is really like a really, really tasty spicy oatmeal. Like high end oatmeal that you pay WAY too much for, yet it tastes good, though you’re pretty sure you could pay $5 for twenty times the oats, some orange zest or maybe just BBQ oranges and then add some cardamon and a little other spices.

What I’m saying is this is tasty, not that it’s overpriced.

Taste: Vanilla, rich butterscotch, raisin, molasses, oranges, burn, cumin

Really sweet, and really rich. Kinda like a creme caramel. And thick. Like the way I like my women.

Also there’s what seems like a rum influence, but not enough to be a rum finish. Rum finishes usually are crazy heavily influenced, and this isn’t like that.

Also this is really hot. Guessing it’s young because of that. Wait, did I just say if something is young it’s hot? Don’t know if that’s more pedophile or ageist.

Moving on…

Finish: Caramel, cinnamon red heart candy, brown butter, grain, grassy, dry, fuzzy peaches

Wow, amazing finish, though quite a bit of heat. After opening up for a long, long time, there’s different flavours that are nice, and while I like it, are alien to the taste. Really alien.

Basically it’s disjoint, but so tasty.

Conclusion: See, now I’m wondering if I didn’t send tvraisedme a good enough dram, because this is tasty, and interesting, and has a complex finish, and a great nose, and is really high proof.

Crap. Now I have to guess. Okay, so I know it’s a Rye, it has a lot of heat, the flavours are interesting, it’s not LDI based on the LDI I have had. (EDIT: NOTE THAT IT IS LDI, I’M JUST INEXPERIENCED AND WRONG) Can’t really say anything beyond that.

My Guess: Willett Family Reserve 4 Year

Final Score: 84.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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