Review: Willett Small Batch 2-Year Rye, Willett 5-Year Rye - More Willett! More more more!!!

Review: Willett Small Batch 2-Year Rye, Willett 5-Year Rye - More Willett! More more more!!!

Ok so we're admittedly smitten with Willett.  We struck gold with the 25-Year Rye.  LeNell's Red Hook was by far the greatest rye we'd ever tasted.  We got a tasting with private barrel legend Doug Philips. Even the Willett 4-year (sourced Indiana rye) won our best buy of 2012, for being an awesome barrel of cask strength goodness at under $40.

A couple of months ago we got a rare treat: a personal tour of Willett Distillery from Drew Kulsveen, master distiller.  Drew proudly poured us the first original Willett-distilled whiskey in over forty years.  Drilling right into the barrel to give us a taste, Drew mentioned in passing "this stuff is just a few months shy of being 'straight.'"  Of course he was referring to the regulations for straight rye whiskey, which must be aged for at least two years in new charred oak barrels.

Well it's a few months later and we were lucky enough to get our hands on some of the new 100% Willett-distilled Family Estate Small Batch Rye.  As a fitting pairing, we put it next to the new Willett 5-Year rye, which is likely a similar batch as the 4-year (LDI-sourced) rye only a year older.

The new Small Batch Rye on the left, and the 5-Year on the right

New Look

We notice a few immediate differences.  Willett has moved away from the handwritten labels and the beautiful hand-dipped wax seals and now has typed ABV and proof and a foil seal.  This is a sad turn of events.  Tearing through the wax was a beloved moment as you first opened a new bottle of Willett and got to nose what was inside.  Also the assorted wax colors just somehow added to the mystery and collectibility.  But hey, if this means that they're going to produce a lot more Willett and it's just prohibitively difficult to wax-dip each one, then that's a welcome development.  We also notice that they've moved to a synthetic cork, so perhaps there's some issue with wax-dipping here.  Anyway we'll sure miss the wonderful wax tops, but it's still a gorgeous presentation.  Thankfully they haven't messed with the classic WFE bottle design.

Old wax tops on the left and right, the new foil top in the middle.

Also the bottle and barrel aren't numbered.  Presumably a small batch can't be numbered, since it doesn't come from a single barrel.  However we've noticed that some of the new single barrels are also missing bottle numbers, which is a shame.  It doesn't really matter, but numbering the bottles and yield of a particular barrel is a strong sign of integrity for you as the consumer and we hope they continue to do it.

The 5-Year Label.  Notice the hand-written age, ABV, proof, and barrel number.

5-Year Rye Tasting Notes

Nose:  Solid big punchy rye nose with lots of cracking spice, some char, a hint of vanilla and mint.

Palate:  The taste confirms that this is a brother of the 4-year.  It's just a solid rye, very much in the zone for what a rye should be and fitting with a top LDI barrel pick.  Very drinkable, particularly at the high 110 proof.

Finish:  Not a particularly memorable finish, but again it's very smooth and drinkable with this much ABV and flavor.

The small batch label.  Moving to the typed/printed ABV & proof.

2-Year Small Batch Rye Tasting Notes

Nose:  The nose is sharp.  A big burst of mint, some tree bark, char, and shoe leather.  Some creaminess, like vanilla yogurt.  But it's definitely a "trebly" nose - meaning not a ton of depth and richness, and a lot of heat & spice in the top of the nose.

Palate:  Wow!  Don't let that nose fool you, it will get better over time as it picks up the wood.  But what they did with the taste is amazing.  Sweet with a lot of mint, some tea leaves, and butterscotch.  Very fresh tasting and floral.  There's a maturity that shouldn't be here at two years, and a complexity of flavor that is very pleasantly surprising.

Finish:  Clean finish with a little throat burn but a good balance of sweets, spice, and a little wood.

The 5-Year, left, showing Indiana provenance and hand written bottle/yield; Small batch on right.

The Straight Rye Skinny

Ok first of all it's difficult to be impartial once you've visited a place, met the great people who are involved, tasted the spirit before it's even ready for the bottle, and feel very connected to the story.  But we think that this new Willett product will be reviewed very highly even by folks who aren't as biased as us.  With so many brands sourcing from LDI, it's nice to taste something that's obviously a completely different animal.

The Family Estate Small Batch is a remarkable achievement for Willett. It has a lot of fresh flavors that speak to great care with the recipe and distillation process.  But it also has a richness that's striking considering its age.  We prefer it to the 5-year at less than half the age.  Also, for a small private operation using local ingredients, the price point of around $40/bottle is right where it should be.  We see a lot of small "craft" distillers trying to come to market with spirits that don't taste nearly this good and are priced up at $60 or $70.  While we prefer it neat, at this price you won't feel guilty adding an ice cube or making a truly exceptional cocktail if that's your thing.

Those 20+ year bad boys that we've been lucky enough to taste are still the stuff of dreams.  But granted that they're going for impossible four-digit figures, and that's if you're lucky enough to find them, we're thrilled to see some great and reasonable drinkers coming out of the new Wileltt.  You'd be lucky to pick up a bottle of this first Small Batch Rye.

Cheers/SB