Dan and I are currently attending tasting classes with Whiskey University as part of their "Train the Trainers" program. Recently, we signed up to take the Willet Distillery Class as an elective.
Willet products are very difficult to find in New England, and especially in Maine and New Hampshire, so with only a week to prepare we had our work cut out for us with the list of 16 whiskies that the class featured. The Willet signature Pot Still Reserve is easy enough to find, and if you're willing to fork over the cash you can sometimes find a Family Reserve Rye. Other than that, neither our home state nor our closest neighbor has any of the distillery's other brands.
Fortunately enough, I happened to be making a trip to Massachusetts and visited a couple of stores in the Bay State. At the first I was able to grab a bottle of Corner Creek 10 Year Old. Corner Creek is its own distillery, but it sources its distillate from other producers. While the the source is technically undisclosed, Corner Creek is known to have sourced from Willet, and so this one was on our list. At my next stop, I was able to pick up a bottle of Noah's Mill, a Barrel Proof super premium brand, this rounded out a flight of three, and turned out to be the best we could muster out of a list of 16 brands.
About the Willet Distillery
I'll get to tasting notes in a minute, but first, a little history. This was a class, after all!
The Willet family came to the US from England in 1692 when Edward Willet, pewterer, came to settle in Prince George County, Maryland. Among other things, the Maryland Willets were distillers of Rye Whiskey. Edward's Grandson William moved to Nelson County Kentucky as it was becoming a state in 1792.
The Willet family was active in the distilling business for many generations. Among the family's well known distillers was John David Willet, Master Distiller at Moore, Willet and Frenke and four other distilleries in the middle of the 19th century and Aloysius Lambert Willet, who was born in Bardstown in 1883 and was active in the bourbon business from the age of 15.
Eventually Aloysius Lambert Thompson Willet "Thompson" was born in 1909, and it was he who founded the present day Willet Distillery in 1936. The first bourbon was barreled in the Bardstown Distillery on St. Patrick's Day, 1937.
Today, the Willet Distillery is owned by the Kulsveen Family, having passed to Even Kulsveen and Martha Willet Kulsveen in 1984.
Willet Flight Tasting Notes
Willet Pot Still Reserve: 94 Proof. 8-10 years old. Nondisclosed mash bill estimated at 72% Corn, 13% rye and 15% malted barley.
- Nose: Cherry and citrus with vanilla and oak. Some baking spice.
- Palate: Honey and caramel with a strong citrus note.
- Finish: Rye-forward spice with a lingering cinnamon, vanilla and caramel.
This is one of those love-it-or hate it whiskies that inspires strong reactions from most people. Many have contempt for what they consider a $10 whiskey in a $100 bottle, but all three of The Whiskey Mafia Godfathers enjoy a sip from time to time.
Corner Creek 88 Proof. 10 years old. MSRP of $55. Nondisclosed (sourced) mash bill.
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla and char with hints of cocoa and spice.
- Palate: Caramel, brown sugar and vanilla with a light oak in the background.
- Finish: Char, caramel and vanilla, followed by leather and tobacco.
This one really surprised us and was our favorite of the flight. It has a remarkably complex nose for a low-proof bourbon and is really flavorful, but easy to drink. Definitely pick one up if you get the chance.
Noah's Mill: 114.3 Proof. NAS. MSRP of $50. Nondisclosed mash bill estimated at 72% Corn, 13% rye and 15% malted barley.
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla, fresh fruit and cinnamon.
- Palate Dried fruit, pecans and caramel with hints of cinnamon.
- Finish: Cinnamon and char.
This is a great high-proof pick with a bold flavor once your mouth acclimates to the initial ethanol burn. Pairs really well with the kettle corn that I was eating because it was mentioned in class. Dan it still a little miffed that I didn't run some over to him.
The real must have bottle from this flight was the Corner Creek, but you really can't go wrong with the Noah's Mill either. Hope you get a chance to experience these great bottles - and a little bourbon history - sometime soon!
Cheers!
Trevor
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