Willett's Single Barrel Bourbon

@Victor, your review has caused me to finally seek out some Willett bourbon. Thanks !

@AboutChoice, I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences with the Willett products.

@Victor, I agree with @AboutChoice: this sounds fantastic!

"Calypso" is the release name given to this issue of 12 year old Willett bourbon.

What are your thoughts of Willets Family Pot Still? For a similar price would that, or Rowan's Creek 12 y.o. Small Batch, be your preferred choice?

@Pudge72, I just had some Willett Pot Still for the first time last week. It is definitely good, but not quite in the same category with the Willett named single barrel expressions. My Rowan's Creek took quite awhile after the bottle was opened for the flavours to completely open up. Now that they have, it is excellent. On a close call I would take the Rowan's Creek here, and, if it seems a little tucked away at first, as many bourbons do, then just give it a little time and it should come around very nicely. At # 14 on the Connosr highest member-rated list, Rowan's Creek currently has the highest rating in our club for a whiskey other than a Scottish malt. It is not among my personal favourites, but it is, at its best, excellent.

Where did you purchase this? I've been trying to find a location in Chicago that stocks the willett single barrels but haven't yet had any luck. Also, it seems that they come at a variety of ages and prices. I know the sopressata is aged 18 years and is about $129 but I couldn't find any info on a 12 year.

If you found the Sopressata somewhere...save up and get it!!!! (and message me to let me know where you found it...I know it's not Binny's...) ;) 'Victor' kindly provided a sample at a tasting in December and I marked it as a 'homerun' dram with extra stars for emphasis.

Calypso? Hm I can't find it on whiskybase. For Europe TWE seems to be the best (and only?) option to get it.

@Kryonas and @Wills, these numbered and sometimes named Willett Single Barrel products are 'private' bottles from private barrels, sold to private businesses, eg Binny's in Chicago, the Jack Rose/Bourbon Saloons in DC, Ace Beverage in DC, The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky, private clubs that bid to buy a barrel, or private individuals. The barrel #8065 "Calypso" was bought, I think, by one of the DC organisations, and, as has been typical in this town in the recent past, that organisation farmed out a few bottles here and there to 3 or 4 other restaurants, bars, and liquor stores. These Willett Single private barrels only pop up for sale here and there occasionally. They are usually, but not always, quite lovely. It is hard to find places to sample them before laying out what they cost to purchase, so there is some chance of disappointment. The bottle pictured here in this review is not what the bottle shape and labeling of Willett private single barrels looks like. To see a picture of a wall of Willett private single barrels, take a look at the profile picture of @bourbondork.

N.B. The "Calypso" was a barrel yielding 132 bottles; "Sopressata" was a barrel yielding 131 bottles.

Thx @Victor. Indeed the TWE bottle (though it has a nice pot still shape) offers only 47% ABV. So this bottle seems to be wider spread, more common, no 'private bottling'.

For 130 bottles it sounds like really improbable to get one here in Europe.

Nonetheless nice that you liked it :)

@Wills, you are correct that you would probably have to be in the USA to find a bottle for sale of one of the Willett Private Single Barrel bourbons or ryes.

@victor I tried this along with a private 9 y.o. single barrel recently at a tasting. Oh my, these are spicy! Like a hornets nest attacking the tongue! It's not a bad thing but it was an interesting experience. By far the spiciest bourbon I have tried have come from Willett. Challenging drams but they leave you very satisfied with what they have to offer.

@masterj, it is interesting that you sampled some 'Calypso' recently. That barrel was bottled and sold over 3 years ago now. I found this bottle a little challenging at first, myself, but became more and more enamoured of it. My taste had to evolve to be ready for it, as it did for only a couple of other bottles, such as my bottle of old label Old Weller Antique 107 from 3 years ago, and most especially, Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whisikey. All are favourites now. I still have about half my bottle of Calypso, at this point preserved with inert gas. Willett private barrels do tend to be intensely flavoured and quite spicy, but they include whiskey from a variety of distilleries, including some wheated bourbons and rye whiskeys among them.

You convinced me to try willett single barrel

@GBrough, there are two types of Willetts at present, the pot still bourbon with the pot still shaped bottle @47% ABV, and the private single barrel Willetts, usually at Barrel Proof (usually @55-72% ABV) which come in standard thin upright bottles, eg from the current profile picture of @bourbondork. All will differ from barrel to barrel, some are so-so, but most are outstanding. Private single barrel Willett bourbons and ryes can be anywhere from 3 to 23 years old, and are only available at a few places, and only occasionally. Binny's in Chicago gets some periodically, as does The Party Source. There are probably no more than a couple of dozen retail vendors that ever see a Willett Single Barrel bourbon or rye. Other than buying a barrel from a distillery yourself, Willett Private Barrels are the closest US whiskey parallel to Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottles. This Calypso 12 yo reviewed above is an outstanding bottle, and the 18 yo 68% ABV "Sopressata" Willett I own is usually my very favourite standard (ie rye-containing) bourbon.

People usually like the Willett Pot Still bourbons too.

I have willett single barrel at bevmo, i dont know the proof or if it is bottled uncut, bevmo has the odd shaped bottle that looks very unique and makes me curious about the gem inside.