Rowan's Creek

Nose of oak, orange, caramel, cherry, nuts, rye and cinnamon. Bold and rich on the palate; caramel, dehydrated orange, some pepper, charred oak, cinnamon, crème brûlée, syrup, butterscotch and vanilla. Oily, spicy and sweet finish. Very well done. Rich and complex and an easy 100 proof.

This is my first Willett product since Michigan isn't in the distribution network. Interestingly this brand seems to be rather polarizing. Even the Distiller review sitting in the 90s seems above the user sub 4 rating. Let's see where this bottle lands in my palate.... Nose is not exactly up the creek... but it is defintely woodsy. Some very light brown sugar notes and some pretty prominent rye notes. First sip is vanilla and caramel loaded. The oak comes through on the edges, but not over the top to be distracting from the dram. At 100 proof this drinks very easy with almost no burn to speak of. The finish is almost buttery and lingers with a soft caramel fade away. Overall this is a damn fine dram. I suppose I can see where some might call it a little too oaky, but the vanilla and caramel are sp prominent they overshadow the oak backdrop. I am with the Distiller review here and would definitely recommend this one if you see it. Everyone is entitled to their review (which is one of the loveliest parts of the whiskey world) and mine is a definite BUY!