Willett Family Estate Bottled 3 Year Straight Rye

Alcohol by volume: 53.7% Smells of rye spice, naturally; also dill; vanilla; and a hint of brine. Taste is rich and smooth initially, with butterscotch, caramel, and vanilla, then a strong hit of rye spice; it dries out as it develops, with various spices like dill, Serrano, and black pepper. Finish is medium-long and drying, with a little toffee and peanut brittle balancing an intense rye spiciness that leaves your tongue buzzing. Peppermint and spearmint complete the experience. Worth: $45-$60 USD (if you can find it). It's a good deal. Final thoughts: While challenging to acquire, this cask strength rye has all the qualities of an excellent mid-tier whiskey. It's great neat and with a little water, and I imagine it would also perform well in a cocktail. If the dill aroma is a dealbreaker for you, this intricate rye is a must-purchase. Rating: 4/5 Strongly suggest purchasing a bottle.

An intense Family Estate Bottled Rye Whiskey from the Willett distillery in Kentucky - produced using spirits distilled after the Willett distillery reopened in 2012! The initial distillation occurs in their tall column still, while the second distillation happens in a copper pot still. Subsequently, the spirit was aged in white oak barrels with a level 4 char. It begins with notes of rye, oak, lemongrass, caramelized apple & a touch of savory thyme; the sweet middle adds notes of herbs, spices, mint & cinnamon; leading to a long, dry & toasted finish with notes of fruit, maple, black pepper, brown sugar & beeswax. January / February / May / June / December 2018 / August 2022

I acquired this bottle from a particular store earlier this year for a set price. I recently obtained the aged rye (on the right) but decided to review this one first. Conditions: in a glass, allowed to rest for 10 minutes. Smell: faint caramel, alcohol vapor (at a certain percentage), oak and spice, mint and a hint of dill; there's also an unidentifiable sweet note, possibly butterscotch? Taste: rye spice, subtle caramel and vanilla, oak, some menthol and dill, finishing with a grainy note. It has a medium finish, and it's quite enjoyable. I must say, I truly appreciate this rye. There are only a couple of other ryes I can recall enjoying more, but without diminishing this distillery's work, in my view this younger rye is outstanding. Rated 9 out of 10.

I was excited to try the offerings from this company, given their excellent work with spirits from external sources. This is a review of the 53.7% bottling. It's interesting; if you enjoy the cherry flavor of Dr Pepper, this will be right up your street. I, however, am not so keen. As someone else mentioned, there's also dill and/or aniseed/fennel. It's definitely a well-made dram, but it's just not to my personal taste. I'd find it difficult to consume more than the single measure I have. Score: 3.25

This was a pleasant surprise. I'm not typically drawn to ryes; this offered upfront citrus and orange notes with a gentle minty finish. While these aren't profiles I usually seek out, I've never encountered a bourbon that harmonized flavors so positively. It's quite distinct – my sample was small. I'd be keen to acquire a larger bottle to keep on hand!

From a sample I received that pleasantly surprised me from a large liquor store. The aroma has oak, rye, leather, white chocolate, toast and green apple. It's spicy and richly sweet on the palate, with flavors of rye, oak, char, caramel, sweet apple, cinnamon candies, citrus peel and vanilla. The finish is long and spicy. It's complex and full-bodied; rougher than the 4-year version.