BourbonEnthusiast.com

Hello All,
I was recently presented an opportunity to purchase a bottle of Willett Family Estate 22 y/o Bourbon (Single Barrel) for $400. I passed simply because I've already spent entirely too much money this past month on BTAC, parkers, etc. But does anyone have thoughts on this bottle? I'm of the opinion that $400 is too much to pay for almost any bottle of bourbon. But perhaps I should have bit the bullet and picked it up...

Thanks, everyone!

i am a big willett fan. i've had several bottles 11 years and under. i've seen the 22, 23 and 24 year bottles, although never bought them. the 11 year stuff is excellent, i can't imagine the 20+ year being that much better where it is worth $400...but to each their own

One of the reasons why the 22yr was commanding such a high price was that Willett isn't distributed in Michigan. If my bourbon budget wasn't already in the red, I might have taken the Willett down. Out of curiosity, how much do the younger bottles command in states where they're distributed?

Also, I've heard the younger Willett bottles are from sourced barrels (i.e. not distilled by Willett). Does anyone know if the older barrels are sourced too?

I'm in Illinois. Last bottle i saw here was a 23 year about 2 months ago, also for $400. I haven't seen much else, but when they were around (probably over a year ago) a 10 or 11 year was about $130. i remember about 2-3 years ago binnys had a 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 year for sale all at the same time. most of the bottles i get now are thru trade/secondary markets.

i'm not saying it is as good as the family estate bottles, but willett's other stuff is pretty darn good too (noah's mill, rowan's creek, johnny drum, pure kentucky) and a heck of a lot cheaper

Doug's #1 and #2 and LeNells #1 and #2 are probably the four best ryes on the planet and command very high prices. I know of certain of these bottles commanding up to $3,000.00 a bottle.

I took the evening to think about it, and figured the likelihood of seeing a bottle like this again in Michigan wasn't great, so I went back today and fortunately they still had one left. A very hefty price tag, but for a 22 year cask strength I can't be too unhappy with the price. *cough*pappyvanwinkle23*cough*

Would still appreciate any feedback the community can offer. The only thing more enjoyable than talking whiskey is drinking it!

Sure it's great. Share your thoughts if/when u open it.

pierceography wrote:Also, I've heard the younger Willett bottles are from sourced barrels (i.e. not distilled by Willett). Does anyone know if the older barrels are sourced too?

right now, if it's a Willett Family Estate bottle and is over 3 years old, it is practically guaranteed to be sourced whiskey, as they didnt start distilling again until 2012. The two year rye WFE you may see on the shelves currently is all Willett made stuff.