Willett 16yo Barrel 31
Added on Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 at 08:45 PM
  Bottler: Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Ltd.
  Age: 16 yrs Type: American
  Vintage: 1993 Subtype: Bourbon
  ABV: 69.50 % Region: Kentucky
  Price: N/A Availability: Collectors Only

Distilled 4/6/1993        White Oak       Warehouse E       Rick North 4       120 Bottles

$115 on release. 

Member Ratings and Notes
Adam
 
I really like this bourbon, but I'm not sure whether it's excellent or "just" very good.

I first bought a bottle to bring on a trip with me to my stepdad's 70th birthday party.  I had no idea what booze would be available at the destination, so on all such occasions I make sure I travel with something interesting.  So I stopped by K&L and grabbed this off the shelf.

Well, when I tasted it on that trip, it was amazing.  Awesome.  Completely hit the spot and was a definite "A."

Returning to LA, I bought 3 more bottles.  And tasting it here on subsequent occasions, I've found it to sometimes be too alcohol-y to rate in the "A" range, instead being a rather solid B+.  Yet as I write this now, the glass is tasting to me like a solid A-.

A whisky's enjoyment is often influenced by mindset and setting (as are many other things), but this one seems especially prone to that.  I think the especially high ABV means that sometimes it'll hit you just right, and sometimes it'll hit you too hard (although I don't really ever have that problem with Stagg being so high proof… but I digress).

Oh yeah, and this hits you like a ton of bricks.  And it also makes you prone to writing excessively long, boring reviews.

Point being: A tasty, caramel-y and quite nutty bourbon that packs big punch.  Not for novices.  Very very tasty.  B+/A-
 
Sku
 
Nose:  Very nice nose with oak and wood polish, sweet with lots of age on it.
Palate:  Hot, woody, rich, aged but not chewy in mouthfeel. 
Finish:  a long, subtle Bourbon finish.

Definitely one of the best I've had from the Willetts series.
Chris
 
N: Dry, spicy, with faint cherry and mint.  Some deeper rancio notes.
P: Spicy cherry explosion.   Wooooooo, yeah.   Gotta love the 70% abv, that'll wake ya up in the morning!
F:  Long n' spicy.
Very good.
Andy
 
Smooth and velvety.  Leather and butterscotch.  Yummy!
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