Rating: 13/23 This is a blind tasting. I know it's a rye and that's it. N: This reminds me a lot of Noah's Mill with its sort of mushroomy smell bordering on medicinal. It's herbal with a big bitter vegetal side. The alcohol also burns my nose. P: Somewhat viscous with herbal character turning into big black licorice with a lot of clove that carries some oak with it. There's a huge burn throughout though, like what I get from Rabbit Hole Cavehill. There's also a creek water sweetness to this that in spice of the big licorice and other boldness belies youth. Not as much mushroom as I'd feared, but there definitely is some there. Combined with a small amount of cherry that borders on cough syrup mixed with a hint of green wood, this almost seems like it was aged briefly in cherry wood. A bit of nice maple syrup with a bit of malty character. Some lemon rind as well and maybe a dash of tangerine. F: Black licorice with a sweetness like the candy itself. My tongue feels a little raw like the burn actually stripped some of the flesh off of it. - Conclusion - I am not a fan of this. Between the burn and the mushroom weirdness, this isn't one I'll be buying a bottle of. It's too bad because there are some other rich flavors in here that I really like. That burn really reminds me of Rabbit Hole Cavehill, so I'll compare them. I like the sweet approachability of the Rabbit Hole (after getting past the burn), whereas I like the complexity better here. Since this is a rye, I can forgive that funk more easily than I could in Noah's Mill. This doesn't taste quite as youthful as the Rabbit Hole, which I think makes it the winner in my book. I almost gave this a 12, but it's getting a 13. It's a shame: there's a lot of potential here, but the harshness and mushroom really knock it down. I've been wanting to try an older Willett for some time, so thank you @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for generously sharing a sample of this!