Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye Review
A Bad Wine Reviews loyalist (Chris...it was Chris) sent me this Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye bottled at a whopping 114.4 proof. This mother fucker is every bit of that proof and screams like a howler monkey the entire way down your gullet.
Willett bourbons and ryes are some of the hottest bottles in the whisky world because of their high quality product, limited releases and rampant insider trading. I KID, I KID! While the insider trading is probably a lie the first two items are certainly not.
As with most ryes I go in very skeptical to avoid being disappointed and betrayed. The nose on this elixir started out with a very subtle hint of cinnamon - I added some water which I'll elaborate on momentarily and that cinnamon then became a recently closet-emancipated gay man exploding onto Broadway.
The first sip let me know I wasn't ready for what was about to happen as it kicked my ass the entire way down. That thing was very hot - I like drinking around the 110 proof world but lordy this one got me. I added some water to calm it down off that ledge. When it comes to adding water, I truly believe less is more. Except when your house is on fire then more is the way to go.
In da mouf, I got BOISTEROUS mint and licorice flavors that combine to make this one hell of a dessert drink. Honestly if you drank this with a Tiramisu - damn sun. The finish rounded out with some vanilla and that cherry cough medicine that isn't horrible but it's not great but it fucks you up a little bit so you deal.
I'll be honest - I gave this a 2.99 because if you REALLY like rye then you will probably love this. If you've never had rye or are still testing the waters then this may be a little much for you. Try it at a bar first before you commit because bitches like this got you for a while.