Tasting Notes

Producing WhiskyCast has given me the opportunity to taste some really amazing whiskies, and I’m pleased to share my tasting notes with you here. You can search my entire database of tasting notes from this page, and I hope you’ll find it useful.

Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye

Country: USA

Region: Kentucky

Type: Rye

Bottler: Distiller

ABV: 54.05%

Score: 91 Points

Willett Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye. Photo ©2015 by Mark Gillespie. This 2-year-old Rye is the first release from the Willett family’s distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky since it started production in 2012, though the label and bottle are similar to other Willett releases sourced from other distillers over the years. The ABV may vary from batch to batch, and these tasting notes are based on Batch #1.

The nose is spicy and intense with notes of lemon pepper, grass, dried flowers, and hints of honey and vanilla. The taste is thick, spicy, and tart with lemon pepper, chili powder, and a hint of cinnamon on top of brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and honey notes. The finish is long, slightly dry, tart, and well-balanced with softly fading spices. Excellent!