I have an innate lazy streak to my personality. Like, so innate that my mother tells stories of how she was concerned I might not actually be alive when I was in the womb. I just didn’t move much. Fifty years later or so, and that hasn’t changed much. I still have a general inclination toward a sedentary lifestyle. I just don’t like to expend any more energy than I have to in order to get the result I want. If the only way I can get a certain result is to work hard and tire myself out, I certainly will. But if there’s an easier way to get the same result, I’ll take it.
And this is why the modern “speakeasy” concept irritates the hell out of me. Seriously? Why make it harder for me to give you my money? I’ve seen ones “hiding” in gas stations and burger joints. I’ve even seen one where you need to do a math problem to figure out the passkey for a keypad—if you didn’t already know it. This one was a standalone building on a busy street, so it wasn’t hiding.
I get that these places appeal to people who are much less pragmatic than I am. But what are my ultimate goals when headed out to grab a drink with a friend? One, hanging out with a friend, and two, grabbing a drink. If I wanted to hang out at an escape room, I would. But since my goal is a drink, just let me buy it. The easier you make it for me to get what I want, the more apt I am to come back a second time. I don’t need anyone to overcomplicate things.
So now that I’ve gotten out an old-man rant that is only kinda appropriate because of the name of tonight’s bourbon, let’s leave off yelling at clouds and get to the purpose of this review. Speakeasy Bourbon is another bottle I picked up on my way through Kentucky last month. Because I don’t get press releases from Willett, I had never heard of this one. I grabbed it because it’s fun when you find a new bottle from an established producer. Most of the time, it means you aren’t about to waste your money on it.
Before we get into the details, let’s let the folks at Willett have their say, from their website:
Behind false bookshelves and trick doors, parties of lavish extravagance were replete with jazz music and the allure of forbidden spirits. Patrons knew to “speak easy” or softly of their secret watering hole, lest they draw the attention of a prohibition agent. The Noble Experiment failed, but the bold resilience of elegant whiskey drinkers has proven timeless.
Speakeasy is made from a mashbill of 79% corn, 7% rye, and 14% malted barley. It is entered into the barrel at 125 proof, the highest proof legally allowed. After aging, it is cut to 98 proof and bottled. Let’s see how it tastes.
Speakeasy Bourbon by Willett
Purchase Info: $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Liquor Barn, Louisville, KY.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.67
Details: 49% ABV. Mashbill of 79% corn, 7% rye, and 14% malted barley
Nose: Oak, wax, cardamom pods, cinnamon, and hints of citrus and mint
Mouth: Cinnamon, chocolate, nougat, oak, cardamom, and a touch of both citrus and mint
Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cardamom, chocolate, nougat, and cinnamon
Thoughts: Not bad, but not great. When I first nosed this, I was struck by the smell of freshly waxed hardwood. Over time, that shifted to more of a cardamom note among others. The mouth follows the nose and adds in "candy bar" notes of nougat and chocolate. The finish is on the gentler side of medium. More of the same notes. The mouthfeel is thick and rich. There are people who will love this, but I’m not one of them. The notes just aren’t hitting for me. I’m neutral on this one. It currently lives among my cocktail supplies, as it is very nice in a cocktail. Which I guess is thematically appropriate for a bourbon named after a place that sold cocktails to cover up the subpar spirits available at the time. But the price is decent for a cocktail ingredient, if on the higher end of the definition of decent. Luckily, the store selling it didn’t put it behind a math problem…