Temporary setback in willett family estate program

[P&MLiquorsEric]

This might be the reason for the rumors that the program has been stopped.

It is an excerpt from an email Britt Chavanne sent to my distributor and I when asked for an update on our barrels.

In answer to your question, I do not currently have an ETA. Our 4-head vacuum filler that is used exclusively to run single barrels, such as WFE Bourbon, has not been in use for approximately 6 weeks. A major part of that equipment spontaneously broke on us (I'll spare you all of the details), and it has been next to impossible to locate a replacement part since the manufacturer is in Italy and shut down for the summer holidays. The good news is that the part is expected to be here and the filler perhaps in use again as early as next week, at which time we will hopefully resume running barrels.

Sincerely,

Britt

[theglobalguy]

Any update from your experiences Eric? Outside of their gift shop in have seen next to no product (other than the 4 yr Rye) available.

[NWBourbonDrinker]

Any update from your experiences Eric? Outside of their gift shop in have seen next to no product (other than the 4 yr Rye) available.

I was in Oakland two weeks ago and wandered into a shop that stocks good bourbon and they had 2 8 Year WFE and 2 6 Year WFE. They only had the 6's when I left. I don't know how long it takes to make the West Coast but there is at least a little available out here.

[kickert]

In answer to your question, I do not currently have an ETA. Our 4-head vacuum filler that is used exclusively to run single barrels, such as WFE Bourbon, has not been in use for approximately 6 weeks. A major part of that equipment spontaneously broke on us (I'll spare you all of the details), and it has been next to impossible to locate a replacement part since the manufacturer is in Italy and shut down for the summer holidays. The good news is that the part is expected to be here and the filler perhaps in use again as early as next week, at which time we will hopefully resume running barrels.

Two months is a long time to have a bottling line be down. I am surprised they didn't have a back up system. You can get an entry level industrial 4 spout for about 3 grand, or string together a couple single bottle fillers for about $400 apiece.

If they wanted to keep bottling, they could have, but in my experience, Willett has never had any interest in being timely when it comes to private barrel delivery.

Edited October 21, 2013 by kickert

[MauiSon]

I see it available at one online retailer, 9yo and 11yo.

[P&MLiquorsEric]

Two months is a long time to have a bottling line be down. I am surprised they didn't have a back up system. You can get an entry level industrial 4 spout for about 3 grand, or string together a couple single bottle fillers for about $400 apiece.

If they wanted to keep bottling, they could have, but in my experience, Willett has never had any interest in being timely when it comes to private barrel delivery.

I would agree. We started the process the first week of january this year and still no bottles. Our picks are already another year older.

[theglobalguy]

I would agree. We started the process the first week of january this year and still no bottles. Our picks are already another year older.

Yikes! Really defeats the purpose when you can't plan around it arriving on schedule.

Since you picked the barrel you think they'd be in a hurry to bottle/ship/sell. It's one thing if they didn't have enough barrels to choose from and used a stall tactic. Wonder if they just flat outsold their capacity this one equipment breakdown put them over the edge?

[P&MLiquorsEric]

Yikes! Really defeats the purpose when you can't plan around it arriving on schedule.

Since you picked the barrel you think they'd be in a hurry to bottle/ship/sell. It's one thing if they didn't have enough barrels to choose from and used a stall tactic. Wonder if they just flat outsold their capacity this one equipment breakdown put them over the edge?

Agreed. We put off some other barrel selections thinking these would arrive mid summer. Now we are just hoping they are here for Christmas.

[Yeti]

A year is a significant change in the whiskey, not always for the better. It's a shame they're not permitting a more efficient process.

[MyOldKyDram]

Its a crap situation. Hope they resolve it soon for you guys, Eric. Let us know when they do so we can make the trek to Etown.

[AaronWF]

A year is a significant change in the whiskey, not always for the better.

Are you actually saying older is not always better? Blasphemer!!

[Yeti]

Are you actually saying older is not always better? Blasphemer!!

I'm saying a single barrel isn't always better tomorrow than it is today. Sometimes you've gotta get in there and rescue it!

[AaronWF]

I'm saying a single barrel isn't always better tomorrow than it is today. Sometimes you've gotta get in there and rescue it!

Well then, if an over-aged barrel is a cat in a tree, I'd like to join the league of Firefighters please.

[HP12]

Well then, if an over-aged barrel is a cat in a tree, I'd like to join the league of Firefighters please.

I'll drink to that! Pass that bottle of PB Willetts.

[SMOWK]

No bourbon is too old.

[mosugoji64]

No bourbon is too old.

[squire]

No bourbon is too old.

[P&MLiquorsEric]

I just want it in my store and then I will decide if it is too old or not.

[theglobalguy]

So not stir up anti K&L folks, but in their latest blog entry from a visit to KY they quote KBD as saying they ran low on barrels and that's why they pumped the brakes. Makes a lot more sense to me than equipment failure lasting this long....but still doesn't explain a Jan pick still sitting in barrel?

http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com/klwinescom-spirits-blog/2013/10/23/kentucky-day-2-bardstown.html

[p_elliott]

I think what Josh ( Yeti) is trying to say is: You picked the barrel at what you though it's prime was a year latter it's not going to be the same whiskey you picked. It may or may not be better but that's not for KBD to gamble on. If it was me it would be deals off I'll go some where else.

[SMOWK]

For my taste many of them are.

Except the bourbon that is.

I'm still looking for a bourbon that has spent too much time in the barrel. The oldest I've had is a 34yo Heaven Hill and that was pretty tannic, but quite the lovely wood bomb.

[mbroo5880i]

I think what Josh ( Yeti) is trying to say is: You picked the barrel at what you though it's prime was a year latter it's not going to be the same whiskey you picked. It may or may not be better but that's not for KBD to gamble on. If it was me it would be deals off I'll go some where else.

Either that or I would want to resample to make sure that I still wanted it. It may be better or it may be worse. Even if it was determined to be a good, I would hope they would offer the retailer some price adjustment or something for the delay. Of course, they may not care since they could probably find another buyer at a higher price than the prior agreement, especially given the price increases over the past 10 months.

[Yeti]

I'm sure it's going to be very good bourbon. After sampling Eric's OBSF, I don't have any concerns about that. I'm just saying that Willett should be supplying the product agreed upon instead of making retailers sit on the hot seat for an entire year to see what's behind door #2.

And for the record, in my experiences, I can't think of any bourbon I thought was "too old", so I'm in agreement with SMOWK there. But that doesn't mean you couldn't pull out a few ounces of that 34 year HH barrel when it was 33 years old, and I wouldn't prefer the 33.

[AaronWF]

If it was me it would be deals off I'll go some where else.

Where else are you gonna go? Nobody has a program like Willet where they age whiskey distilled by somebody else. We know that other NDPs do that, but who will sell you a barrel at cask strength? Unfortunately, Willet can afford to make people wait because they offer something nobody else does. Retailers can't keep them on the shelf: there aren't a whole lot of labels that carry that clout.

It's certainly less than ideal to pick a whiskey at 8 years old and not get it until it's 9 or 10; something very well could have changed for the worse during that time, but as things stand, with Willet you take the good with the bad.

[Yeti]

you take the good with the bad.

Such is life. Excellent points all around.

So what do we make of this statement - "Once we got down to only 200 barrels in storage we knew we needed to put the brakes on"? Are they buying new partially aged stock from HH (or wherever)? Are they just going to sell out and discontinue the program? Where do they go from here?