New Willett bourbons

[bad_scientist]

Can you post the link to that. Thanks.

I don't see it on the site yet. It's just their regular newsletter.

[BFerguson]

From K&L Wine's latest whisk(e)y newsletter:

4) Willett Samples on the way! We’ve managed to get Willett to sell us one of their last Stitzel Weller barrels, unfiltered, and at cask strength. We’re not sure we actually want one yet, but we’re at least going to taste what’s left. Willett originally sold Jefferson’s their barrels of SW juice, so we’re basically going around them to the source. Hopefully we’ll all get another crack at a great SW bottle if their reserves yield something promising.

Willett is the source of all the JPS stuff?!?!?! Why are they bottling the Bernheim/mystery origin wheaters when they have/had SW? Maybe they had so much, they couldn't sell it, and the guys who own Jefferson's made them a great deal?

Makes me wonder how many of those Willett 17 and 18 years distilled in 1992 or earlier are SW. My local bar had a Willett that was definitely SW, confirmed by the guys who picked the barrel, and by the taste.

Even if they had so much, tanking it and trickling it out on the market for years to come would seem like the prudent thing to do.

High prices, limited releases, drive the market wild with speculation and rumor........Hmmm, now where have I seen that before?

B

[Old Lamplighter]

And so begins another mysterious tributary flowing out of the old S-W headwaters now gone underground. It sure keeps it interesting...looks like it may go on a few more years than anyone anticipated. As Julian's stocks are winding down, we may yet see more 'discoveries'.

[bad_scientist]

Even if they had so much, tanking it and trickling it out on the market for years to come would seem like the prudent thing to do.

High prices, limited releases, drive the market wild with speculation and rumor........Hmmm, now where have I seen that before?

B

I can see that (all too clearly, unfortunately), but the K&L Wine guys seem to think that there's not much of it left, so I doubt they're planning to trickle it out over several years. Maybe you're right, though - there is a real lack of clarity when dealing with Willett and SW separately, so, whoa boy, getting the two together... If they are, then they should put in in metal, because the JPS stuff, while delicious, is past its prime.

I wonder why they would sell their SW stuff to someone else, and then bottle other wheaters from less celebrated origins under the Willett label. Members of SB.com have sworn up and down that the Willetts they've had are not SW. But, if they have so much, why would they bottle anything OTHER than SW, even in limited quantities?

Again, perhaps they HAVE been bottling quite a bit of SW stuff in their 2010 and earlier Willetts, perhaps along with whiskey from other origins (not in the same bottles, of course), and nobody really picked up on it.

[Josh]

There's S-W and then there's S-W.

If something was distilled at Bernheim and then aged at S-W, is it S-W? If you know S-W is a selling point for enthusiasts (Willet's target market) then maybe.

But I have no right to speculate about such things.

[White Dog]

There's S-W and then there's S-W.

If something was distilled at Bernheim and then aged at S-W, is it S-W? If you know S-W is a selling point for enthusiasts (Willet's target market) then maybe.

But I have no right to speculate about such things.

Now Josh, is that any of your f--kin' business?? :lol:

[Josh]

Now Josh, is that any of your f--kin' business?? :lol:

No. No it is not, sir.

:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:

[bad_scientist]

And so begins another mysterious tributary flowing out of the old S-W headwaters now gone underground.

In Xanadu did Kulse Veen

A Stitzel-Weller home decree,

Where all the sacred liquor ran

From rickhouse never seen by man

Into the mouth of me.

[Happyhour24x7]

bad_scientist, can you point me toward some stores in DC that are selling any of the Willett bottlings?

[bad_scientist]

bad_scientist, can you point me toward some stores in DC that are selling any of the Willett bottlings?

Sure, I'll send it via PM.

[bad_scientist]

Had the new TPS 9 Year Willett. 124 proof, and pretty smooth for that. Tastes a lot like a cask strength Ezra Brooks. Watered down to 45%, it indeed tastes like Ezra. I happen to like Ezra Brooks quite a bit, but it's $8.65 a bottle in Maryland and this was over $70 after shipping. Oh well, you live, you learn.

[cigarnv]

In most cases one has to be careful to detach KBD from the contents of a Willett single barrel retail offering as even though they held the stock, they did not choose the barrel. To my knowledge KBD has never forced anyone to buy a barrel of whiskey, so poor choices lay at the foot of the barrel buyer.

What is in the bottle rests on the shoulder of the person or group selecting it.... and there are a lot of less than worthy single barrels floating around. The folks at LeDroit do a very nice job of selecting ... but then again their primary purpose is to satisfy their direct customer sitting across the bar ..... not to fill shelves in a retail store.

Along these same lines one has to be careful in listening to the end sellers claim of provenance as it may have little connection to the actual chronology of production and much more to do with the price that can be charged.

[jburlowski]

Reid is right. Never buy a Willett just because of the label. You should have a taste first (or know someone who has) or know/ trust the capability of the person selecting the barrels.

As I once posted:

Buying a Willett is kinda like a blind date... some are really great and others just have "a nice personality".

Caveat emptor.

[bad_scientist]

The folks at LeDroit do a very nice job of selecting ... but then again their primary purpose is to satisfy their direct customer sitting across the bar ..... not to fill shelves in a retail store.

[cigarnv]

I didn't like the most recent batch of Ledroit Willetts, except for the "No Chemists Allowed". Not sure why they decided to pick such simple taste profiles.

Others may find the whiskey outstanding and see things in it that you did not..... I see this happen often when we taste barrels for selection with individuals who IMO have excellent palates. At times they will agree and other times they won't... but they all know good whiskey. The beauty of good bourbon is the slight nuances that influence how we feel about what is in our glass.... what is great for me may be just fair for others and vice versa.

I have complete confidence that Bill and Jake are picking excellent barrels... is there a chance I may not find some to my liking.... absolutely... I know this for a fact. Are the ones I don't like poor picks..... IMO they are just whiskies I don't care for but most likely are excellent whiskey......

[Happyhour24x7]

I was just having this conversation over the weekend, in that although I prefer certain Willett bottles over others, there has never been one that was bad. Referring only to the Ledroit choices available in DC, but I do have a level of confidence in their choices. I just ordered a couple bottles from another source, we'll see if their selections are as good....

[Bmac]

My Willett 7yr has opened up a fair bit after opening. Water really brings out a creaminess to the bourbon.

Sometimes i wonder if some bourbons get a bad mark because it was stellar out of the bottle on the first pour. Out of 50+ different bottles i have opened, only 5 or so were great right out of the bottle.

[unclebunk]

My last three Willetts have been superb from beginning to end, and the bottle's unusual appearance makes it ideal as a gift for a friend, so I'm giving them an enthusiastic thumbs up!

[MrAtomic]

I opened my bottle of TPS 11 YO Willett # 372 a few days ago. Here are my thoughts after letting the whiskey get a bit of air.

This is very interesting stuff. If I sniffed the bottle while blindfolded, I don't know that I'd identify it as bourbon. It smells much more like the plum brandy my Armenian relatives used to drink. Neat, the taste is similarly unique -- the plum is there, with figs and tobacco. I don't much like it neat, but a little water brings out some familiar bourbon flavors and sweetness. With the water it almost tastes like a blend of armagnac and bourbon. I sniffed the empty glass a few minutes after finishing the pour and it smelled like sweet pipe tobacco.

I finished off a sample of PHC Cognac Finish last week and don't remember it having as many brandy-like qualities as this Willett. I'm glad I bought it, as I like unique bourbons. But it needs some water. Neat, it's just a mish-mash of fruit flavors without enough traditional bourbon traits.

[BarrelChar]

Has anyone tasted the Willett 20 year wheated batches from around 2010? The ones I've seen are 92.6 and 92.7 proof.

I figured Randy was referring to one of those in his previous post, but I wondered if anyone else had tried them.

[RyanL]

Has anyone tasted the Willett 20 year wheated batches from around 2010? The ones I've seen are 92.6 and 92.7 proof.

I figured Randy was referring to one of those in his previous post, but I wondered if anyone else had tried them.

I had the TPS 17 yr wheated but it was barrel proof and from 2010-2011 I believe. It was amazing stuff though.

[clingman71]

I had the TPS 17 yr wheated but it was barrel proof and from 2010-2011 I believe. It was amazing stuff though.

Indeed it was. It was the best wheated bourbon I had ever had until an early '70s bottle of Old Weller 107.

[Restaurant man]

Drinking the 372 from TPS. Interesting whiskey indeed. It changes quite a bit with water. I like it both ways. I got tobacco and raisins in the same whiskey :grin:

[MrAtomic]

Drinking the 372 from TPS. Interesting whiskey indeed. It changes quite a bit with water. I like it both ways. I got tobacco and raisins in the same whiskey :grin:

Yes, water changes it dramatically. Now that this bottle has had a chance to get some more air, I'm liking it more than when I opened it. It's still very unusual -- deviant, even -- but it's a lot of fun. Still prefer it with water, rather than neat.

Anyone besides me and Restaurant Man tried this one?

[sailor22]

You guys got me digging through the open Willett's to see which of the PS picks I have left. Turned up a barrel 375. 8yr 60.55%. It's probably been open a year or so and sitting most of that time at half full so it's had a little air.

The nose is nuts and brown sugar, not much in the way of fruit. Tastes pretty tight and oakey, sweetness and wood with plenty of heat.

added water...

The nose opens up considerably with water and now I get mellon and a freshness along with the nuts. Much less heat in the taste, but less sweetness too. Still plenty of wood astringency. Unfortunately not much in the way of fruit from this barrel. I'm reminded why I haven't visited it in a long time. It isn't bad but it isn't my favorite profile.