Willett Family Estate Barrel #805 Review

I'm trying pretty hard to clear out bottles that are nearly empty from the bunker in order to make room for the impending "Bourbon Christmas" that is nearly upon us. Up tonight is a bottle that I've treasured dearly and have been sitting on for years but tonight it's time to say goodbye. This is one of the older Willetts from the legendary 800 series - notice how the font on the face isn't cursive like the more recent bottles from the past couple of years. This bottle is what cemented my love affair with Willett and it was only recently after trying some of the ancient 40's series 18 year wheaters that I've ever had a better Family Estate.

64.15% ABV; Aged 8 years; $55 (Early 2012); Bottle 142/180

Color: I'm not a color snob but this one is dark. I mean just look at it - it looks more like coffee than bourbon. Compared to my more recent 7,8,9,10 Willett Family Estates this one is nearly twice as dark.

Nose: Full on salty caramel bomb. It smells insanely sweet with wafts of sugary oak.

Taste: The same sugary sweet notes from the nose amplified. I've never tasted so much caramel in a whiskey ever in my life. It is one dimensional in that it's just all candy sugary sweetness but this one is just a giant among men in that category. It honestly tastes like sugar daddy caramel candy sticks reincarnated as booze. The heat level is fairly warm but it's a soft glow and not overly angry. The finish is moderate to long with a tempered amount of heat given the proof. The great part in the finish though is all that bright upfront sweetness morphs into a darker cocoa / mocha chocolate. It's freaking delicious.

Thoughts: What I poured from this one tonight is the end of the line for this bottle and I'm really going to miss it. What it lacks in depth and complexity it makes up by doing sweetness better than just about any other bottle I've had. It makes me sad that I used to be able to just walk into a store and buy this stuff off the shelf. Hard to believe but at the time I debated for several weeks over buying it. Now I regret not clearing the shelves.

Rating: A