Willett Family Estate Bottled 3 Year Straight Rye

Once again, Willet doesn’t disappoint.

Purchased 2/19/18 (Lexington KY, $39)

Nose - Sharp sweet minty vanilla, cherry/berry cough drops, grapefruit pith, faint butterscotch sweetness in the background Taste - Sharp sweet vanilla/mint/herbal simple syrup, ginger/cinnamon spice, sweet orange/grapefruit zest. Finish - Very sweet herbal simple, very artificially sweet, like splenda, lingering cinnamon/ginger tingle, bitter grapefuit zest mingles with some ginger spice. Score - 69/100 Final Thoughts - Looking back on my review of the 2 year, I think I probably scored it at least 10 points too high. After sitting down with this, I found that although it's quite unique, it has this way too sweet that turns into an artificial sweet, mixed with this artificial sweet mint vibe. It's interesting for sure, but the more it sits on the tongue and you let it stand, the more weird and slightly off putting it gets. Not sure if I got a bad batch or something, but this was way more splenda-like than I remembered. I'll have to see how this holds up in a Sazerac cocktail as I think the weird sweetness in it might complement the absinthe rinse quite well. Would I drink it if offered? - No Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Floral on the nose. Big bouquet of summertime flowers. One of the best I’ve ever whiffed on a whiskey. Pallet starts off with cinnamon, almost of hot tamales, and lends way to a pumpkin pie. One could argue a sweet potato pie. Either way it’s definitely of that Thanksgiving pie from the market. A truly delicious whiskey.