Willett Single Barrel Bourbon 18 Years is one of the now legendary Gold Wax Willett’s that go for large sums on the secondary market. The exact distiller of this whisky is unknown, but there’s a fair chance that it’s from Heaven Hill since that’s one of the main places Willett sourced a lot of their bourbon from. They also sourced a lot from MGP so it could be from there… but then there’s the wheat.
This Willett Single Barrel Bourbon 18 Years, like many other Gold Wax, has a wheated mashbill. Which makes me think it’s some Old Fitz juice… but then MGP also makes a wheated Mashbill and so does Buffalo Trace who they’ve also been known to source from in the past. That a long way to say the mystery continues, but one thing is for sure, this is some damn fine bourbon.
Willett Single Barrel Bourbon 18 Years Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Unknown
Bottler: Willett
Mashbill: 51%+ Corn, wheat & Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 18 Years
ABV: 70.4%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Barrel: C49
Wax: Gold
Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller
Willett Single Barrel Bourbon 18 Years Review
EYE
Dark ruddy caramel
NOSE
Deeply oaky, cherry heavy dark fruit, complex baking spice, butterscotch, vanilla and a light coppery / mineral note. Crazy rich and dense.
PALATE
Essentially copies the aroma with a deep oaky essence, cherry heavy dark fruit, complex baking spice, orange pith, butterscotch, vanilla and a bit of that same coppery / mineral note with a bit of leather.
FINISH
Long waves of oak, dark fruit, spice, leather and butterscotch fade out for what feels like forever.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Perfectly balanced, heavy round body and a rich oily texture.
OVERALL
Wow… just… wow. The Willett Single Barrel Bourbon 18 Years is just… wow; there’s a reason these whiskies are now legendary. The aroma is so heavy and dense I felt like it was saturating my clothes and I was sure I’d still be tasting oak and dark fruit in the morning. When people talk about chewy bourbon this is what they’re talking about. I still have a hard time paying the secondary prices I see for bottles like this… but I get it.
SCORE: 93-97/100 (A, not consumed at home)