Corn | Buttered popcorn | Vanilla | Lemon meringue pie | Honey Nut Cheerios | Toasted cinnamon | Light toasted oak

Caramel corn | Orange peel | Crème brûlée | Pastry | Light brown sugar | Oak

Honey | Cantaloupe | Spicy cinnamon | Black pepper | Dry oak | Light graininess | Hot

Willett.  Purple top. Two things that get any bourbon enthusiast hot and heavy. Willett built its reputation on those two phrases, and it’s done them well during good times and bad. During much of the modern era, Willett was primarily a non-distilling producer, bottler, and blender. During that time, they sourced bourbon and bottled it in Family Estate purple-wax top bottles, which near-instantly became legendary, in part due to their often high ages of 10+ years.

Willett resumed distilling its own whiskey in January 2012 under Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen, after largely stopping distillation in the late 1970s/early 1980s. During this time, Willett wasn’t the patient type, releasing their own distillate as a 2 year old rye and a 4 year old rye as soon as they came of age. Bourbon releases came to market a little more slowly, but followed a similar release path. Now, with over a decade of distilling and aging under their belt, it's perplexing why a Willett 4 year old bourbon still exists.  

The bourbon’s aroma opens light and a bit on the youthful side. Corn grain pops first, followed by buttered popcorn, light vanilla, lemon meringue pie, Honey Nut Cheerios, and toasted cinnamon and oak. It’s a pleasant aroma but lacks a meaningful presence. The palate is also on the light side despite the bourbon's 125 proof. Caramel corn is the most forward note, followed by light orange peel, crème brûlée, pastry, and brown sugar. A surprising amount of oak pops at this point too, especially for the bourbon’s age. The finish adds dashes of honey and cantaloupe before coming in hot thanks to spicy cinnamon, black pepper, and an ethanol pop.

Willett has become a big name in the bourbon business, and although its production has expanded over the years, it remains a small operation compared to its neighbor Bardstown Bourbon Co., and the other Kentucky majors. That is likely one reason why the company continues to put out 4 year old whiskey. Their higher-aged purple tops have also seen a dramatic rise in price over the years, and a 4 year old bourbon is a way to onboard customers who can’t afford their older, more expensive whiskey. That said, Willett Family Estate Small Batch 4 Year Bourbon is a far cry from being worthy of carrying the Willett “Purple Top” name.

The bourbon features a decent amount of flavors, but they are underdeveloped, lack weight, and the sip is dominated by ethanol and peppery heat. Although $67 seems like a fair price for a barrel proof bourbon with the Willett name on it, its sip doesn’t offer enough to justify its price. Willett makes great tasting whiskey, but in its current state simply isn’t up to the expectation the Willett name carries with it.