This is a 25-year-old single barrel straight rye from the Willett Family Estate program in Bardstown, bottled at 100 proof. A quarter of a century is a very long time for rye in Kentucky's climate, where hot summers push spirit into the wood quickly.
About This Whiskey
Each Family Estate bottle comes from one barrel, with the age, proof and barrel number written on the label. At 25 years old, this rye was distilled well before Willett restarted its own stills in 2012, so it comes from the stocks the family bought and matured in its Bardstown warehouses. Long ageing in new charred oak pushes rye towards dried fruit, leather and old wood, while the grain's spice keeps it from going flat. It is bottled at 100 proof, 50% ABV.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Old oak, dark caramel, orange peel and dried cherry, with mint and clove behind.
- Palate: Concentrated and dry, with rye pepper, leather, toffee and polished wood.
- Finish: Very long, with oak tannin, candied citrus and a cooling herbal note.
Serving & Food
Take it neat at room temperature in a small tulip glass, and go slowly; very old rye changes a lot in the glass over half an hour. Water is rarely needed at this strength. Pair with a cigar, walnuts or a slice of dark fruit cake.
How to Enjoy
Rye lovers curious to taste how a quarter century in oak reshapes a spicy grain.
Product Details
Producer: Willett Distillery (Willett Family Estate)
Origin: Bardstown, Kentucky, USA
Style: Single barrel straight rye whiskey
Age: 25 years
ABV: 50%
Proof: 100
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
Willett's modern story belongs to Even Kulsveen. Born in Norway, he married Martha Willett, a daughter of the founding family, in 1972. By then the family distillery had been hit hard by the bourbon slump, and in 1984 Kulsveen bought the property and ran it as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers.
For almost three decades the company did not distil. Instead it bought, aged and bottled whiskey from other Kentucky producers, releasing it under the Family Estate label and a string of small brands. That work kept the Willett name alive until the stills returned, and it earned Kulsveen a place in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2019. He died in September 2025, aged 79.
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