Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Whiskies, Revisited

May 10, 2016 Eric Burke

Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Rye and Bourbon

It’s no surprise that I like to try new things. Like today, I tried both acupuncture and massage therapy for the first time. One of them seems to have worked to ease a pain in my neck. But in either case it was an interesting experience.

But we can’t just plow forward into the great unknown all the time. Sometimes we need to stop and take stock of where we’ve been. And since I’ve been exploring some of the Willett brands lately and I happen to have a bottle of both Willett Rye and Bourbon this seems like a nice time to look back at a couple bottles I haven’t evaluated in a while.

Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbon

Purchase Info: $118 for a 750 mL at Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY

Details: 12 years old. Barrel# 1270. 59.2% ABV

Nose: Toffee, cocoa and oak.

Mouth: Hot and spicy but sweet as well. Starts similar to the nose with nice sweet notes of cocoa and toffee playing with a spicy note that is similar to ginger on a solid foundation of oak.

Finish: Sweet and spicy. Numbs the mouth. Very long.

Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Rye

Purchase info: You know how when you are on vacation and having fun you don’t always think of keeping the paperwork? That happened this time. All I know is it was bought in September in Kentucky for some money.

Details: 7 years old. Barrel# 94. 57.8% ABV.

Nose: Mint, black pepper, oak and a slight fruitiness.

Mouth: Spicy, though not overly hot, with notes of mint, cloves and pickle juice.

Finish: Long and sweet. Numbs the mouth. Lingering warmth in the chest.

Thoughts: Both of these are great examples of why you want someone with a great palate choosing your single barrel whiskies. A 12 year old bourbon could easily be over-oaked. Not this one. It’s got a solid oak presence but is sweet and rich instead of woody and tannic. Same with the rye. A 7 year old MGP is often nothing special. This one however is rich and delicious.

It’s been a while since I evaluated a Willett Single Barrel instead of just enjoying them. My advice hasn’t changed though. Have a budget and stick to it. At the gift shop, have a budget and buy the oldest one inside of it. You won’t be disappointed at any level so don’t feel like you need to bust your budget to get the best. At a store, if you are lucky enough to have this in your local, have a budget and stick to it. If this is inside your budget, buy it. I’ve yet to find one of any age that wasn’t quite tasty.

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Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel

May 5, 2016 Eric Burke

This week I found myself on a different side of the bourbon zeitgeist than usual. What I thought was good and interesting was viewed by many as controversial and in poor taste. I had people I respect tell me they disagreed with me. I had people I don't respect (or even know) call me out and to tell me how wrong I was to donate to a cause I believe in. But here's the thing, I really don't let what others think inform what I think is good. And if I feel like doing something with my money, I'll do so.

See, I put my money where my mouth is. I'm not just some guy sucking at the teat of big whiskey pretending to be a critic. Well, ok, maybe I am some of that. You see I am just some guy. And you could say that by doing reviews I do pretend to be a critic. I'm not a critic. I'm an enthusiast. I'm a fan. I love the flavors, the aromas, the liquid, the personalities and the history. I even love some of the companies. When I tell you what I think about things, sometimes I gush where others would be measured and professional. This happens because I seriously love bourbon. There are two people in the world that I have gone out of my way to get autographs from. Both make bourbon. One I wrote about earlier this week and the other is Jimmy Russell.

Jimmy Russell is a Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. He is one of the most amazingly fun people I've ever talked with. I'm a fan of his and of Wild Turkey. But even though I'm a fan, that doesn't mean I've tried everything they've put out. Somewhere along the way I missed picking up the single barrel product they put out, Kentucky Spirit.

Single barrel products are hit or miss. They are what many enthusiasts turn to when they've gotten bored of the regular releases. And sometimes they are really, really good. Other times they are less than perfect and show why most companies mix together many barrels when they put out their product.

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel

Purchase Info: $38.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: Bottled on December 8, 2015. Barrel# 2727, Warehouse O, Rick 2. 50.5% ABV

Nose: Fruit notes of pear and cherry, the stick of gum from an old baseball card pack (kind of paper and gum mixed...yes, I'm old, shut up) and freshly tilled earth.

Mouth: Hot with a sharp alcohol bite on the initial sip. After that I get typical bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla and oak.

Finish: The finish brings back the fruit and bubble gum notes from the nose. There is a nice heat that lasts a while.

Thoughts: This is tasty and I do like it but for the price I would probably buy either my beloved 101 or if I wanted something a bit higher up the flavor scale, Rare Breed.

Johnny Drum Private Stock, 101 proof

April 28, 2016 Eric Burke

For some reason or another, I've never really tried a lot of the non-single barrel, non-"Willett Family Estate Bottled" products put out by Willett. It's not like I don't like Willett. I like them quite a bit. I've gone on record as stating that you should go into the gift shop with a budget, buy the most expensive one that is within that budget and you will never regret that purchase. And I've had a glass of the Willett Pot Still here and there and given bottles of it as gifts to people that are impressed by pretty bottles.

But for the products that don't bear the Willett name on the label? I've just never gotten around to it. I've decided that it is time to remedy that. Last month I reviewed the 80 proof Johnny Drum Green label. It was fine, but nothing special It was enough to make me want to take a look at it's higher proof label-mate the Johnny Drum Private Stock as the next step in my exploration of all things Willett.

Johnny Drum Private Stock

Purchase Info: $27.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.

Details: 50.5% ABV

Nose: Mint, grain, honeydew melon and allspice

Mouth: Dry and fairly grain-forward with mint, brown sugar, oak and spice baking that up.

Finish: Warm and spicy with a decent length.

Thoughts: While I normally don't like grain-forward bourbons, this is one I'm ok with. There are nice flavors of spice and mint that help it to present itself as a well-integrated whole. I like this and would recommend it to people who prefer bourbons that aren't oak bombs.

A Tale of Two (Wild) Turkeys

April 26, 2016 Eric Burke

A miniature bottle of Wild Turkey 101 proof from 1979.

A few weeks ago I ran across something a little too good to pass up. I was out antiquing and found a seller who had a bunch of miniature liquor bottles for sale. Full, sealed bottles. They were only available as a set so I took the entire lot. Out of that lot I got three bourbons of varying antiquity. A early 1970s IW Harper, a Blanton’s (can’t be older than the early-mid 1980s when the brand debuted) and the one I was most excited about a Wild Turkey from 1979.

Since I am a lover of most things Wild Turkey, and constantly have a bottle of 101 on my shelf, I thought it might be fun to taste this along side of the current release. The 1979 version is eight years old and both are the 50.5% ABV that Wild Turkey built their reputation on. I was initially going to do the comparison blind. Unfortunately for the plan (but fortunately for me) the 1979 juice was so much darker that I had no trouble picking out which was which. So I decided to just taste them side-by-side and compare them that way.

The 1979 pour needed a lot of time to breathe before we got down to business. Upon pouring it was very strong with the scent of nail polish remover. After about a half hour or so that dissipated and instead there were thick notes of maple, brown sugar and oak with a lovely fruitiness underneath. By way of comparison, I found the 2016 pour presenting an anise note that I had never picked up in it before.

Back to the 1979. The mouth had a nice thick mouthfeel with herbal hints of mint, spice, brown sugar and oak. It reminded me very much of a barrel proof Four Roses Q yeast bourbon. The finish was warm and long.

Moving over to the 2016, the mouthfeel was thinner but retains a nice velvety texture. There were fewer sweet candy flavors from the oak and the rye flavors were more pronounced. The finish was warm and while shorter than the 1979, was still of decent length.

I found this to be a fascinating process. While I would have said that the 1979 pour was tasty if tasting it by itself, I don’t know that I would have had quite as much fun if I hadn’t had the current release to contrast it off of. And as for the current release, I might not have found the interesting anise notes in the nose or realized how pronounced the rye notes were on the palate if I hadn’t had the older one to contrast it with. Overall this was just fun. And honestly, isn’t that why we do this?

Bottom-Shelf Bourbon Brackets 2016: Championship Rounds

March 31, 2016 Eric Burke

The Championship rounds: Buckhorn, Very Old Barton 86 proof, Evan Williams 1783 and JW Dant

Here we are: the Championship rounds! We’ve made it through the opening rounds and tonight we find out which of our Bottom Shelf Challengers will graduate to the Fancy Shelf.

Once again, I am struck by just how good the competition has been. Most years we’ve had a clunker or two that made it in. This year, I liked every bottle that made it into the competition. I blame this on the fact that we were just able to find better bourbons in the price range this year.

In fact, I’d say that the story of the year was certainly the “Total Wine effect.” Total Wine sells their national brands at as close to cost as they can get away with while marking up their store brands with a higher margin. This has had the effect of driving up the selection and driving down the price at many of their local competitors. Prices have been driven down to the point where many of the bourbons I included this year, wouldn’t have qualified last year.

Normally I have to scramble to find eight items to include. This year, I didn’t have that problem. The increase in local competition has made it such that I actually had plenty of choices and was able to be a little choosier about what I included (leading to that lack of clunkers mentioned above). By way of example, three of the four of the finalists either used to be sold at a higher price or weren’t in the market at all before Total Wine came in.

Yep. The Total Wine Effect is in full swing. And right now spirits consumers are winning in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. To this point, unlike the many dire predictions from before Total Wine showed up, there have been few liquor store closings that I have noticed. If anything I find more reasons to spend money at more liquor stores than I did before. I now shop at seven-eight regularly instead of the three-four I visited in years past.

So here we go. The Championship Rounds. These were tasted blind again. And remember as with previous years, these were not formal tasting notes, just impressions to let us decide which one we liked better.

Round 2: Down to Four

Division 1: #4 seed Buckhorn vs #2 seed Evan Williams 1783

Thoughts: Bourbon A has a slightly richer nose and gets the nod there. A is sweeter on the mouth while B is more grain forward by comparison. Toss in a relatively and enjoyable finish on both and seems that A is fitting our palates better.

Winner: So which is which? Very much to our surprise, Bourbon B was Evan Williams 1783 while Total Wine house brand Buckhorn was Bourbon A. Buckhorn moves on.

Division 2: #1 seed JW Dant Bottled in Bond vs #2 seed Very Old Barton (86 proof)

Thoughts: Both of these have nice sweet noses. If forced to choose a favorite, I’d say A for being slightly sweeter. In the mouth A is slightly more grain forward while B has slightly more depth to it. These are both tasty and are well matched to on another. In the end Bourbon B gets the nod by a hair.

Winner: So which is which? Once again to our surprise Bourbon A was previous winner JW Dant Bottled in Bond and Bourbon B was lower proof VOB 86 proof. Very Old Barton 86 proof moves on.

Fancy Shelf Championship

Buckhorn vs Very Old Barton 86 proof

This is the first time we haven’t had at least one Heaven Hill product in the Championship round. Instead we have a couple Sazerac products competing. Buckhorn is the Total Wine Exclusive made by Sazerac under the Clear Spring Distillery name and Very Old Barton is made at Sazerac’s Barton 1792 distillery. In a break from every other year, both of these beat out higher proof competition to make it to this point. Which is a testament to the quality of the bourbon that Sazerac/Barton/Buffalo Trace is putting out even at lower proofs.

Thoughts: The nose on Bourbon A is fruitier and a little sweeter while Bourbon B brings a little more cinnamon red hots to the party. The mouth follows the nose with A being fruitier and B being spicier with a little more oak presence. This is close but in the end I gotta give it to Bourbon B, but just barely.

Winner: So which was which? Bourbon A was Buckhorn and our winner Bourbon B was Very Old Barton 86 proof.

Bottom-Shelf Bourbon Brackets 2016, Round 1: Very Old Barton 86 vs. Jim Beam White

March 29, 2016 Eric Burke

Very Old Barton 86 proof vs Jim Beam white label

Round 1d of the 2016 Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets features Number 2 seed Very Old Barton 86 proof versus Number 3 seed Jim Beam White.

Very Old Barton is a product of the Sazerac company produced out of the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, KY. Depending on where you live, Very Old Barton is sold in one of four proof levels: 80, 86, 90 and 100. I've had all four and have enjoyed them all. I ran across the 86 proof at a really good price this year as the "Total Wine effect" brought it into the realm of this competition.

Jim Beam white label is one of the most popular bourbons in existence. It's in almost every bar on the planet. Of course this does not mean it is actually good. I've run into very few people that count Jim Beam white as their favorite bourbon. Jim Beam produces some very good bourbon, but this expression normally gets buried in coke or slammed as a cheap shot.

These were tasted blind in the following order. My thoughts on each are from before the reveal.

Jim Beam White Label

Purchase Info: $12.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 40% ABV, No age statement

Produced by: Jim Beam

Nose: Light on the nose, delicate. Dusty wood, mint leaves and corn bread.

Mouth: Thin and a bit watery. Vanilla, bitter oak and cooked cereal.

Finish: This has a burn that comes back up for a visit but otherwise doesn't have much of a finish to speak of. There are fleeting bitter oak tannins but they fade quickly.

Thoughts: “Thin, watery and a tad bitter. Not really a fan.”

Very Old Barton 86 proof

Purchase Info: $14.99 for a 1L bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN.

Details: 43% ABV, No Age Statement

Produced by: Sazerac/Barton 1792 Distillery

Nose: Sweet with a hint of fruit. Mint caramel and bubble gum.

Mouth: Sweet and warm. Vanilla, caramel, some oak and grain flavors.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Lingering spices and cinnamon red hots.

Thoughts: “Sweet and tasty. though nothing to write home about. This would be nice while playing cards.”

Who wins?

After the reveal it was no surprise that Very Old Barton won this one handily. It not only had more flavor, but they are flavors that I actually like. I'm on record as not being a fan of the flavors that show up in low-proof Beam products. And it held true in this case. Very Old Barton won almost by default. I'm curious to see how it does against real competition.

Bottom-Shelf Bourbon Brackets 2016, Round 1: Evan Williams 1783 vs. Wild Turkey

March 24, 2016 Eric Burke

Round 1c of the 2016 Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets features Number 2 seed Evan Williams 1783 versus Number 3 seed Wild Turkey.

Evan Williams 1783 is a product of Heaven Hill Brands. Heaven Hill tells us that it is a small batch version of Evan Williams made from only 80 barrels in a batch and that it is “extra aged.” Of course there is no hint as to what that actually means, but we can assume they are claiming a woodier profile with a few more of the complexities of flavor that get smoothed out by blending a larger batch of barrels together into Evan Williams Black. It is bottled at 86 proof.

Wild Turkey until recently was known as Wild Turkey 81 proof. It might be a fairly smart rebrand since it before the rebrand they were essentially saying “Wild Turkey Weaker Edition.” Not a sentiment that most companies would like for their products. Of course it also positions Wild Turkey 101 as the line extension…meaning it may not be the main priority moving forward? Speculation on my part, of course. I’d never had Wild Turkey 81 and I tend to be a Wild Turkey fanboy so I’m thankful for the “Total Wine Effect” for bringing this into the price range.

These were tasted blind in the following order. My thoughts on each are from before the reveal.

Evan Williams 1873

Purchase Info: $19.99 for a 1 L bottle at MGM Wine and Spirits, Burnsville, MN

Details: 43% ABV, No age statement

Produced by: Heaven Hill Brands

Nose: Alcohol hits you initially. After it dissipates I get grain, mint, vanilla, oak and a hint of ripe fruit.

Mouth: Hot, spicy and sweet on entry. Sweet grains, caramel and cloves.

Finish: Gentle burn that last a nice while. Lingering fruit, cloves and sweetness.

Thoughts: “Good solid bourbon that hits all the “bourbon” notes I want it to.”

Wild Turkey

Purchase Info: $12.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN*

Details: 40.5% ABV, No Age Statement

Produced by: Wild Turkey

Nose: Dusty oak like the inside of a rick house. Cotton candy sweetness. A hint of fruit.

Mouth: Gentle and drying. Sweet apple, citrus, white sugar and a hint of mint.

Finish: Short, gentle finish. Lingering citrus, apple and baking spices.

Thoughts: “While there is nothing wrong with this, it’s just a bit too gentle for what I’m looking for in a bourbon.”

Who wins?

Like all of them so far, this is a close one. The Evan Williams 1783 gives you a better overall experience. The flavors of the Wild Turkey would be better if there was a little more heat. Honestly I’m shocked. I wouldn’t have expected anything with the Wild Turkey name on it to be so gentle. That said, I’m kinda glad I now know I can pick up a bottle of the Evan Williams 1783 for less than $20. Thanks again Total Wine Effect!

Bottom-Shelf Bourbon Brackets 2016, Round 1: JW Dant Bottled in Bond vs. Blue State

March 22, 2016 Eric Burke

Round 1b of the 2016 Bottom Shelf Bourbon Brackets features Number 1 seed, and winner from two year ago, JW Dant Bottled in Bond versus Number 4 seed Blue State.

JW Dant Bottled in Bond is a product of Heaven Hill Brands. It was initially chosen as a part of our initial competition where it eked out a split decision victory over Sazerac’s Old Charter (8 year old). Last year it was back to defend it’s crown and lost in the second round to corporate cousin Evan Williams Bottled in Bond. Unless it wins, this year is the last time it will compete since I’m cutting off previous year winners at two years so we aren’t overrun by them in the future.

Blue State was released by Heaven Hill in 2012 (along with identical product Red State) as a gimmick to play off that year’s Presidential elections. Even though it is once again a Presidential year, I’m guessing it is no longer an active brand since they’ve pulled down the website listed on the back of the bottle and didn’t even bother to redirect it anywhere. I found it along with it’s alternate hidden on the bottom shelf of a local retailer and decided to pick it up since I’d never bothered to originally.

These were tasted blind in the following order. My thoughts on each are from before the reveal.

Blue State

Purchase Info: $14.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN

Details: 40% ABV, No age statement

Produced by: Heaven Hill Brands

Nose: Strong oak presence, cola, black tea and fleeting hints of brown sugar.

Mouth: Cinnamon candies, mint sugar sweetness and some oak.

Finish: Cola, black tea and baking spices anchor a warm finish of decent length.

Thoughts: “I like this a lot. I’m excited to find out which it is.”

JW Dant

Purchase Info: $14.99 for a 1 L bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN*

Details: 50% ABV, No Age Statement

Produced by: Heaven Hill Brands

Nose: Butterscotch, cinnamon candies and oak.

Mouth: Spicy. Butterscotch, vanilla and baking spices.

Finish: Oaky tannins transition to sweet, baking spices that hang around a while.

Thoughts: “This is a sweet one, but has enough oak to balance the sweetness and keep it from overpowering.”

Who wins?

This is a close one. Closer than any 1-4 matchup we’ve had to this point. I like the complex nose of Blue State better. I like the sweet and spicy nature of the mouth of the Dant. So it comes down to the finish and whether I like the yummy flavors of Blue State or the spicy heat of Dant better. Man this is a tough one. After stepping away for a little while and coming back to them we had to give the nod to the JW Dant. The heat was too good to pass by. That said, even though it was a "gimmick" bourbon, I ran back to Ace the next day and picked up two more bottles as this will make a great inexpensive “every-day” bourbon while supplies last.

Blog

Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbon

Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Rye

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel

Johnny Drum Private Stock

Round 2: Down to Four

Fancy Shelf Championship

Jim Beam White Label

Very Old Barton 86 proof

Who wins?

Evan Williams 1873

Wild Turkey

Who wins?

Blue State

JW Dant

Who wins?