Review: Willett Family Estate Small Batch Bourbon 4 Years Old

It took a while, but cult Kentucky whiskey brand Willett is finally delivering a reasonably-priced, everyday expression of their Family Estate label bourbon. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more of these so-called “purple top” offerings from the distillery but in pricey single barrel form, showcasing the house-distilled bourbons that fans of Willett’s older, sourced Family Estate line have long been clamoring for.

Like the Small Batch Family Estate Rye introduced more than a decade ago, this is a four-year-old small batch blend bottled at cask strength. Four years is a bit modest an age statement for a distillery known to show off some seriously old whiskey, but this is also a new mass market, cask strength bourbon, so we’ll cut them a little slack there. And it’s a different recipe than some of the other, more readily available Willett bourbons like Old Bardstown or Willett Pot Still. Two different recipes, in fact; a 30/70 blend of Willett’s original bourbon recipe (72% corn, 13% rye, 15% barley) with their high rye mashbill (52% corn, 38% rye, 10% barley).

We’ve waited long enough for this one, so without further ado.

Willett Family Estate Small Batch Bourbon 4 Years Old Review

The nose is bold and expressive with tons of rye character. Top notes of wintergreen and higher tone baking spice (fresh cinnamon and whole cloves) bloom in the glass. Laced throughout, a bit of sweet citrus and subtly tropical jackfruit offers some contrast to the rye spice. It’s a yeast-driven note that I often find in Willett’s whiskeys, the rye releases in particular, so I’m not surprised to see it here in a such a rye-heavy bourbon. With time, some of the energetic spice recedes revealing warm, barrel-driven notes of caramel candies and vanilla frosting.

The rye is equally punchy on the palate with an initial, green wave of fresh of mint and cut grass underscored by a not insignificant smack of menthol. This definitely drinks its proof, but the ethanol isn’t overly sharp thanks to a silky mouthfeel and softer secondary notes of Demerara sugar and clove chewing gum that help to round out the sip. It’s still rather dry. A splash of water brings more fruit into focus, but the oak remains pronounced. The midpalate simmers with a pronounced chili pepper heat that tempers somewhat into a still well-spiced and warming finish of cinnamon sticks and minted syrup.

I’ve always been a fan of Willett’s Small Batch Rye, and while four years is a sweet spot for that whiskey, this bourbon seems to want for just a little more time in the barrel or a little less rye. Or both. That said, mileage may vary with other batch releases. Regardless, it’s a solid and welcome addition to the Family Estate lineup that serves as an approachable entry point into the more rarefied world of Willett single barrel bourbon.

127.4 proof.

B+ / $67

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