tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post3545415589505971507..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: Whisky #401: Willett 2 year old Family Estate Small Batch Rye (54.05%abv batch)Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-83983014847376759822015-03-14T02:16:32.644-04:002015-03-14T02:16:32.644-04:00I guess the devil's advocate response would be...I guess the devil's advocate response would be......"Or it would be like comparing a 10 year old to a 12 year old, as it's also a two year difference." Not sure which argument I'd buy into right now. Though I do think the primary difference is in the juice they're starting with. MGP/LDI has had a much longer time to develop and perfect its recipe than the Kuslveens. And it's a different recipe as well.<br /><br />I don't doubt that the Small Batch will get better with time (and it'll be a completely different rye than the MGP version). But since Willett pulled a consistently excellent product off the shelf and put something else in its exact price slot, I thought it would be interesting to see what we were gaining or losing. I don't know if its the distributor, the retailers, or KBD itself, but $50+ is tough spot to price it in.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-32234750549403654582015-03-13T01:11:51.954-04:002015-03-13T01:11:51.954-04:00I think that to directly compare this to a rye tha...I think that to directly compare this to a rye that is twice its age is really not a fair comparison. Would we expect the same level of sophistication from a 10 year old in a direct comparison to a 20 year old? Just because 2 and 4 are both really low numbers doesn't put them in the same category. Yes it is young and can be a little hot, but there is a lot of great flavor there. At least for me there is. The things it does lack are those that really can only come with age. If this stuff was pure bliss right now I don't think it would age well. I am pretty sure that when this reaches 4 it will be truly amazing. I really like tasting it because I love rye and to finally be able to have some rye that is not from one of the two main rye distillers is quite a treat. I for one will be eager to immediately snap up some of this when it reaches 3 years old in just a few more months. Can't wait. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-1137605540875087452015-02-26T13:30:19.451-05:002015-02-26T13:30:19.451-05:00Also -- I'm just going to keep commenting on m...Also -- I'm just going to keep commenting on my own post -- Mr. BourbonTruth noticed the quality of his bottle dropped after a few weeks, from a 4.5 rating to a 2.75. Also, it appears that as of the time of his review in June 2014, the rye was price in the mid-$30s in his neck of the woods. Mid $30s, while not super, is much more reasonable than the current $50 price in California.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-60854580683823537902015-02-26T13:25:41.336-05:002015-02-26T13:25:41.336-05:00That's interesting. It does make following a r...That's interesting. It does make following a review's notes somewhat pointless. But it also makes it a pain in the ass to find a second or third reliable bottle of a batch that one likes. Perhaps adding a batch name would help everybody out.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-74507612153203407572015-02-26T12:55:07.263-05:002015-02-26T12:55:07.263-05:00As per Bourbon Truth, even at the same abv there a...As per Bourbon Truth, even at the same abv there are multiple batches out there. Which *might* explain some of the variance in reviews, but certainly also makes reviews less useful. (Sku and I obviously reviewed the same bottle, as my sample came from his bottle.)My Annoying Opinionshttp://www.myannoyingopinions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-86709056616398714512015-02-26T12:06:30.208-05:002015-02-26T12:06:30.208-05:00Sorry, the post's title was updated to "S...Sorry, the post's title was updated to "Small Batch" from "Single Barrel" 10 minutes after posting. This was certainly not a single barrel. I gotta stop copy and pasting everything.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com