Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Kentucky Vintage

• Straight bourbon whiskey produced by Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky
• A blend of two mash bills: 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley (85%) and 79% corn, 7% rye, 14% malted barley (15%)
• Produced with limestone-filtered, spring-fed water from a pond on the distillery estate
• Sour mash fermented in stainless steel for approximately 3–5 days using a proprietary yeast strain
• Twice distilled using an unspecified combination of Willett’s 3 stills: a column still made of copper and stainless steel, a copper doubler original to the distillery, and a Vendome copper pot still modeled after Willett’s original, patented pot still
• Mash bills are aged separately for a minimum of 4 years in new, char #4 American oak barrels from Independent Stave Company’s Kentucky cooperage and blended after maturity; non-age statement
• Aromas of candied peanut, toasted coconut, and chocolate-covered wafer precede a sweet, silky palate of caramel, orange peel, cherry, and amaretto cookie with a peppery finish of arugula and charred oak
• 45% ABV

One of the offerings in Willett’s Small Batch Boutique Bourbon Collection, Kentucky Vintage combines Willet’s original 72% corn mash bill with a second mash bill that ramps up the corn component to 79%. These recipes combine with an accessible ABV to create a classic bourbon profile that highlights just the right amount of nuttiness and char.