308. Willet Wheated Eight Year Bourbon Review

Welcome to another trip down the Bourbon Road with your hosts Jim and Mike. So grab a glass of your favorite bourbon and kick back.

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Hello everybody. I'm Jim Shannon. And I'm Mike Hyatt. And this is Bourbon Road. And today, Mike, it's another craft distillery Monday. Man, it seems like lately we've been having a few big boy bottles on, or at least higher price bottles on.

We have been. You got to, you got to showcase everything. I think, right. We we've said that before from a bottom of the shelf to the top of the shelf.

But I do believe that this expression that we're reviewing today is in fact, uh, a craft expression because this distillery hasn't had something like this before. Uh, and this is them stepping outside that box. We always talk about, right?

Yeah. I still think this is a craft distillery to me. It's, it's tiny. It's, they're not putting that much out when you go there. It is small. So that's kind of nice. So let's go ahead and talk about the distillery. Jim, who do we got on today?

But we've got Willard on and it's been a minute since we've had a bottle of Willard on. If I think back, it's probably been better than a year, but it's high time we have another one on. And today, Mike, which one do we have?

Well, you know, Jim, I'm about to turn 49 years old and, uh, our good friend, Adam Booth be handing me a bottle of the will it weeded. Now this is a Kentucky straight bourbon. It is eight years old, 108 proof. Um, man.

This is a purple top.

It is a purple top. MSRP on this is $259. Adam, man, I love you. I love you to death. Number four, char on the barrel, 65% corn, 20% wheat, and 15% malted barley.

Now, Willet adds this new expression, this weeded bourbon expression to their growing list of expressions they have. They have the Willet Posto Reserve. Well, the ever popular, we'll have family estate bottles that everybody kind of is after. Uh, also the Johnny drum, the old Bards town, which is available in a bottle and bod Noah's mill Rowan's Creek, pure Kentucky, and then Kentucky vintage. You see that on the shelf sometime, don't you?

Yeah. Well, I mean, I've got a bottle of, I've got a pretty much everything up there and there's the dreaded pot steel bottle, right? That everybody it's a beautiful bottle.

That's right. That will it pot still reserve beautiful shape like a, like a big pot still, right?

Yeah. And I've heard negative reviews on it. And I think some people would jump on that bandwagon and then I've heard positive reviews and blinds when people are blinded by it. And then, and then they're like, man, that's really good. And they see that. Like, I can't believe that it's that good that that's that blind. We always talk about Jim that, uh, it's the equalizer, isn't it?

Absolutely. Now, will it's one of those. brands whose profile is very unique and very identifiable. So if you're looking to add that first brand, uh, to your list of brands that you can identify with your eyes closed, I would say start with Willett. Um, they have a very unique nose, a very unique palette across their profiles. And, uh, it's, it's great stuff. It's one of the reasons it's so popular is because it is. different than anything else you can get.

Yeah, most definitely. Well, Will has been around for a minute, Jim listeners since 1936. Now this is a private family owned and operated company out there. They're also known as the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. Now those other brands that Jim mentioned, that's those brands right there with the Willett, but they are the Willett Distillery just outside of Barstown, Jim, right? You duck down that hill off of Heaven Hill there.

You come around the big heaven hill curve there and you go down the hill and if you, if you're not paying attention, you'll miss it. It's like that drive up to the left, up into the woods, right? It's kind of like my, my drive.

Yeah. So over the years, they've been, uh, bottling whiskeys from two years all the way up to 28 years old. And I know you've slipped on some of that 28 year old stuff before, right?

Uh, I have, I have been lucky enough to try it. It's wonderful. It definitely will change your, at least change your day, make a better day for you.

And one of the things that are known for they've been called for is the big daddy of bourbon and or I bottling, uh, means those purple tops out there are some magical bottles.

Absolutely. And we've had a couple, well, we've had one in particular that we've had on the show. We've got another one, Mike, in our library that we haven't opened yet. But you know what, maybe there'll be a day soon. Maybe there'll be a roadie bar at an event soon where we'll, we'll include a purple top. Will it, how's that? Yeah, that'd be pretty magical.

So since the eighties, they've been under that KBD brand kind of, um, there's only a handful of people working there. They got a restaurant. We just had a roadie that went there. Drew actually went there with his wife, Heather and, uh, Eight. Um, they said they really enjoyed it, but I'm, I'm ready to get this whiskey. I've, we were talking about Willard enough. Jim was, you know, me, I'm dying to taste this thing.

I'm surprised you hadn't already. So let's, let's hit it up, Mike. Cheers. All right. Cheers. Love that nose. A little bit of alcohol on it though.

Yeah, that hundred eight proofs coming through. I'm getting a little waft of chocolate there, Jim, maybe some cinnamon toast crunch.

Yeah, it's definitely got those spicy notes that you're accustomed to with a Willet bourbon. It's not a great deal softer just because it's a wheat. I mean, it's still very present on those spices. The chocolate is there, Mike. I mean, it is, but it's really, for me, it's kind of like a chocolate covered blueberry or cranberry or something. Kind of one of those little dark chocolate dried fruits that you get.

Now I'm going to tell you what I'm really getting on this and stick it in my mind. I don't know why it is, but you know, if you ever went to the mall and you're walking past every entrance door, it seems like they have one of those perfume counters and there's like women have sprayed like 15 or 20 different types of perfumes on themselves and they're in that, that aroma is just wafting in the air. That's what I'm getting on this. It's like all these. Yeah. Very, very floral.

Yeah. It's definitely a very floral whiskey. But I have to say though, that the alcohol on it or the ethanol, that ethanol on the nose, uh, you need to don't stick your nose deep into the glass and take a big whiff. It's, it's, it's the hundred need is definitely ever present.

Yeah, a little bit of vanilla there with an eight-year-old wheat. You would get some oak, not a whole lot still. I still think that's kind of a young age for a weeder. Wheats, listeners take a little bit longer in the barrel to get that nice oaky nose on it. That nice oaky palate. So, well, Jim, what do you think, man? Let's sip on this sucker. Let's taste it. Cheers. Cheers.

Wow. Mike, it's, um, so it does have that proof is there. I mean, you can tell it's a, it's a good high proof whiskey, 108 proof balanced and smooth. And it doesn't like, um, it's not aggressive on the palate at all.

My God, it's so it's so yummy. Let me tell you, listeners, this is certified approved by the Weedy King of Kentucky right here. It has a little bit of spice. I know that Jim's going to love right here on this whiskey. But to me, it has everything that cinnamon toast crunch with some milk poured over it has. That is it in a glass, Jim. I mean, it is just beautiful. If you put some sprinkles of chocolate in there, We're, we're golden.

Yeah. Yeah. It's a little fruity too, for me up, up front. I mean, it's, uh, it's not super soft on the front of the palette. Like you might expect the weeded whiskey to be, but it is definitely softer than a traditional Willett expression.

So have you ever had those special K's Jim that has the strawberry dried strawberries and I have special K. Yeah.

It's called strawberry, strawberry, special K or something like that.

Yeah. Yeah. That's I'm getting a little bit of that dried strawberry in here.

Yeah, it's really good dried fruits. I think is, is something that we're, we're both talking about here. So I'm going to say that's a prominent note, whether it's strawberries, blueberries or cranberries, I'm not sure, but it does still have a little bit of that chocolate on the palette.

Super crammy is staying with me. Now, if Willow would offer this, not in a purple top. And it was the same thing that not at a higher price, Jim, man, could this compete with that Faye 02 right here?

I mean, they're so very different from each other. It's really good. So let's talk a little bit about the price. So this is a $259 bottle.

You said, yeah, that's a, it's a chunk of change.

It is. Uh, and that's, and that's basically due to the rarity and how difficult it is to get your hands on one.

So, uh, so what's that like $30 a year? I'm trying to do quick math here. I got my phone out. I have to. Um, do some math here. That's $32 a year, Jim.

Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely a great birthday present. You, you, you did, you did very well on that.

He didn't go into handed back for his birthday. So it was like, we exchanged some bottles, but, uh, you know, for a purple top, I'm going to pay that, uh, especially for this was the first release of this. Just, I can't say nothing. bad about this bottle. The price, I understand that, you know, everybody's going to say $259. Folks, if you see one of those purple tops out there and it's that around that price, search it out, see if it's worth that. But if that's the MSRP on it, I would snag it in a heartbeat.

Yeah, they're, they're, uh, right. Bourbon purple tops at the eight year range. The estates at about eight years are going to be about the same. Uh, if you can get your hands on them, you're going to, you're going to pay a couple hundred dollars for them. That's pretty typical of the, uh, of the finer Willett whiskeys. Uh, if you like to taste that Willett profile, but you don't want to get into the expensive ones. Uh, certainly any of the ones I mentioned earlier in the show, the old Bardstown or the pure Kentucky or the Kentucky village, Roans Creek, they're all good expressions. You can try. Oh, Johnny drum too. They're all expressions that will give you that profile from Willett without the big ticket price. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. That you could get, still get the Willett, but not that big ticket price. The thing I, other thing about this bottle right here, Jim is it's. It kind of goes against everything else. You know, will it does kind of go against the grain sometimes and they put it in a black bottle.

Yeah.

And I've seen a few of those, right? We've seen a few of those. Yeah. And most people get a lot of hate on that. What are you trying to hide in that bottle? I'm, I'm telling you, trying to hide anything in this. It's got a great color to it. Um, I'd call that golden honey. The bottle is just sexy. The way they, the gold lettering on it, the purple top, it's like royalty almost.

Yeah. I mean, it's, this spice is all barrel. No doubt about it. It's amazing the amount of spice that they're able to withdraw from that barrel. It's magical as far as I'm concerned. And this, this, this expression in particular, And it's a great day for the big chief because he gets a, he gets to have his willet and he gets to have his will it as a weeded. So I mean, that's pretty awesome.

How many distilleries have we been in Jim and I don't have no wheat. And I'm like, where's, where's your weed at? That's what I'm looking for. I just looking for your week. That's. You know, we'll get to that and we'll be good. Well, listeners, what we're talking here, if you, if you forgot is the Willett we did Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. It's 108 proof, $259 MSRP number four char American oak, 65% corn, 20% wheat, 15% malted barley. Uh, not bad percentage on that weed either, Jim.

Yeah. Well, what was the percentage on the weed again?

20%. 20%.

That's, that's a good amount. No doubt.

And that 15% malted barley. I, you know, I wonder about that.

I love when that malted barley goes north of 10% because it definitely has a big impact on the flavor profile.

It does have a nice Kentucky hug on it. Got a little burn there going down. I like it, Jim. I think it has a long finish on this. For me, if I saw a bottle, do you think I would pass it up?

No, I think you'd buy another one. I saw two of them. I'd buy you one, Jim. Oh, I appreciate that. For me, uh, for the proof, 108, it's all right there. So there's no proof being hidden in this one. Uh, you definitely taste the proof, but on a positive note, it's very smooth. It's very balanced and you get a very nice pour out of it and a nice, a nice experience. So the spice. is amazingly present for a weeded whiskey. And sometimes we see that. And then this one in particular, I'm just surprised where it all comes from, but we know where it comes from, right? It comes from the barrel from that barrel. Yeah. I'm going to join on this one and tell you, Mike, that I think this is a long finish as well. Um, it definitely has a bit of a hug. The Kentucky hug on this one is bigger than normal. I would say is that wild cat fighting you. It's a wild cat. Yeah. Uh, beautiful bottle, beautiful expression, pretty high ticket price. Uh, you know, there'll be some listeners out there. They're like, no way, Jose, I'm not going to do it. Well, guess what? Go to a bar and buy a pour of it. I think that's the best way to answer that problem. Right.

Yeah. I wouldn't say show up a roadie bar and drink this because listeners, I always say, I'll share my bourbon. I might share it if you come over to my house, but it probably will never leave this inside of this house right here. Um, and I got them to have to slap my hand every time I reach for it, Jim, slap my hand, like get away from it. Get, get, get their bed chief.

All right. Well, I think our listeners have the gist of this review. I think they all know that we're both for this one. Big thumbs up. We're not excited about the price, but you know, will it's our will it's, and that's what you got to pay to get one. Yes, sir. I definitely say it's a, it's a, it's a recommend from us. If, if it meets your, if it meets your pocketbook.

Well, Jim, where can people find us on social media?

Well, you can find us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. You can find us on our private Facebook group, the bourbon roadies. You can also find us on tick tock nowadays. We've actually been doing a lot on tick tock and then starting to pick up speed a little bit. So if you don't have a tick tock account or you've been resisting getting a tick tock account, maybe now's the time because you know what? You can't resist forever. Uh, it's definitely there and it's definitely taken over the bourbon world. So, uh, Make sure you stop into the bourbon roadies, our private Facebook group. Bourbon roadies are our special friends, our special fans, our listeners who, uh, who like to pay attention to what we have going on. That group is for sharing of, uh, pictures of whiskey, of stories, birthdays, deaths, uh, anniversaries, marriages, uh, everything you have going on in your life. Feel free to post it in there. We don't allow any rudeness. Mike, what do we do if they're not nice people in there?

Well, we got to hit the road, Jack. Don't come back. That's how we roll. If you drink from that very bottom of the shelf like that 10 high or something like that to the very top of the shelf like this, will it weeded? We want you to just come in there and be nice and enjoy a whiskey. That's what we're about. We don't do politics. We don't do religion. We do whiskey. We do lots of bourbon whiskey. So come in there and join us and have some fun. You might just find out about some great events that we're going to be at.

Well, we do two shows every single week. We do this short episode called our craft distillery Monday episode. Like today's where we're reviewing this, uh, will it Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey that's, uh, has a weeded mash bill eight years old. Every Wednesday we do a full-length episode. We'll have a guest on, we'll deep dive a subject. We'll drink several expressions. We'll spend a full hour. We'll give you time to drive to work and home. Two shows every single week might, what do they need to do not to miss one?

So let's resume. You scroll on up the top of that app, hit that subscribe sign, that check sign, that plus sign, whatever you got to do to make sure that app lets you know, Hey, these two jokers have a show coming out. today and you need to listen. Next thing you need to do is scroll on down, hit that five star review, leave us some comments. We really love those, but you know what is going to happen if you don't, the big bad booty daddy of bourbon is going to come to your house, dragging some of this will it weeded Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey with him. We'll drink it all night long. By the end of the night, I guarantee you're going to give us that five star review in those comments. But seriously, those comments, those reviews, they open up doors, distilleries, they get great whiskey in our hand, get great guests on our show. We'd really appreciate it.

Well, Mike and are very approachable. We'd love for you to reach out if you've got an idea for a show, if you've got an idea for a bottle that we ought to review, we'd love to hear from you. You always go to our website. We've got to contact us web page on the bourbon road.com. Fill it out. We'll get back to you. You can also send us an email. I'm Jim at the bourbon road.com. He's Mike at the bourbon road.com. But like we always say, probably the best way. Get up our DMS on Instagram. I'm Jay Shannon 63. I'm big bourbon chief. We'll see you down the bourbon road.