Willett Family Rye Whiskey 4 Year Small Batch - Caravan Wines & Spirits

Willett Distillery

Willett Family Rye Whiskey 4 Year Small Batch

Style Bourbon, Whisky > Rye Whiskey
Producer Willett Distillery
Origin Kentucky (Bardstown, Nelson County)
$182 / btl
Mixed six eligible at cart

Build a mixed six around the bottle. Free Australia-wide delivery from $250.

5 left Ships from Brisbane
Open this first

What it tastes like.

The barrels that went into this small batch combined to make an amazing drinker.

Nose- Beautiful layering of brandied cherry over a mildly tart cherry. It opens up with time and is reminiscent of cutting into your dessert with your fork which releases cinnamon and baking spices with just a hint of oak to remind you that this is high proof youthful.

Palette- A robust rye with dark cherry, burnt vanilla, and spices for days. It's a delicious rye with a weighty mouthfeel.

Balance - It's insanely well balanced with the alcohol so perfectly integrated at 115 proof you'll forget its there, but you'll find yourself smiling more and happier with each dram.

Finish- the finish is long and the spices dominate this batch, while the cherry does punch its way through to the surface. 

54.5% ABV

750ml

The house

About Willett Distillery.

Kentucky (Bardstown, Nelson County) ·Est. 1936 (Willett Distillery); family distilling in

Willett Distillery is a Kentucky bourbon producer in Bardstown — the de facto capital of bourbon — founded in 1936 by Thompson Willett, with the family's distilling history in Kentucky tracing back to 1792 when William Willett Jr. moved from Maryland. Brands launched include Old Bardstown Bourbon (1940s), Johnny Drum (1960s), and the Small Batch Boutique Collection of the 1990s — Rowan's Creek, Noah's Mill, Kentucky Vintage, Pure Kentucky. Current ownership: Even Kulsveen and Martha Willett Kulsveen since 1984, operating as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD).

Visit Willett Distillery's page →
At the table

How to pour it.

  • Temperature

    Room temperature. No ice for the first pour — taste the spirit before diluting.

  • Glassware

    Glencairn or Copita.

Bottle questions

Before you open it.

A few practical answers for storage, delivery, and choosing the right bottle.

How should I store it before opening?

Keep it somewhere cool, dark, and steady. Wine prefers cellar temperature; spirits are happier away from heat and direct sunlight.

How long will it keep once opened?

Wine changes quickly after opening; spirits and liqueurs generally hold longer if capped tightly and kept out of heat. If it is a special bottle, ask before opening and the team can give product-specific guidance.

Can I ask for a similar bottle?

Yes. Contact Caravan with this bottle name and the occasion; the team can suggest a close match, a safer gift, or a step up or down in price.

How is it packed for delivery?

Orders are packed in bottle-safe cartons. If anything arrives damaged or looks wrong, contact the team with your order number and a photo so they can sort the next step.

What about hot weather shipping?

The team avoids making one-size-fits-all promises around heat and carrier timing. For heat-sensitive or cellar bottles, contact Caravan before ordering and they can advise the safest dispatch window.

Need a specific answer for this bottle? The Caravan team can help with drinking windows, substitutions, and delivery timing.

Ask Caravan
Willett Family Rye Whiskey 4 Year Small Batch - Caravan Wines & Spirits
Producer visit

Why Caravan backs Willett Distillery

Kentucky (Bardstown, Nelson County)

The Willett family's role in American distilling dates to 1792 — the year Kentucky became a state — when William Willett Jr. moved from Maryland to Nelson County. By the mid-nineteenth century his son John David Willett was a master distiller at four Kentucky distilleries. Thompson Willett established the Willett Distillery on the family farm in Bardstown in 1936, shortly after Prohibition's repeal. The first bourbon under the family's own brand was Old Bardstown Bourbon in the 1940s; Johnny Drum followed in the 1960s as a secondary expression.

Even Kulsveen and his wife Martha Willett Kulsveen (Thompson's daughter) acquired the property in 1984. Production was suspended for a period; the operation was renamed Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Ltd and focused on releasing the estate's existing stocks plus contracted production. In the 1990s the family launched the Small Batch Boutique Bourbon Collection under the KBD label — Rowan's Creek, Noah's Mill, Kentucky Vintage, and Pure Kentucky — independently bottled, reflecting selected stocks from across Kentucky. Estate distillation has been restored in recent years with the Willett Family Estate single-barrel releases.

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