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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Willett Wheater Bourbons: The April 6, 1993 Bernheim Run
Earlier this week, I wrote about the great ryes distilled at the Bernheim Distillery in the 1980s that were released by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD). There is another set of great Bernheims out there from a different era. In 1991, the old Bernheim Distillery was torn down by United Distillers and replaced by a new, high-tech distillery. At around the same time, United Distillers closed one of their other distilleries, Stitzel-Weller. They needed somewhere to make the wheated bourbon for the Stitzel-Weller brands like Old Fitzgerald and W.L. Weller so they started making it at the shiny, new Bernheim Distillery.
This era's Bernheim wheat whiskey is great stuff. Today, as Stitzel-Weller stocks run dry, many of the Van Winkle whiskeys have some of this Bernheim bourbon in the mix. But some of the best Bernheim wheated bourbon I've had is from a run of Willett whiskeys distilled just over twenty years ago, on April 6, 1993. Of course, since these are independently bottled and the producer is not disclosed, I can't guarantee they're Bernheim, but there aren't that many candidates for a wheated bourbon from that era.
These are huge, oaky bourbons with abvs in the high 60s. If you don't like wood, stay away, but if oak doesn't bother you, these are fantastic, like cask strength Van Winkles.
The 4/6/93 Bernheims are bottled under the Willett label (the date is on the back label). Shopper's Vineyard had a 17 year old version a few years ago, and Pacific Edge has distributed a number of them in California, including 16 and 17 year olds. It's possible that some are still on the shelves. If you find one, and you like that oaky wheater profile, definitely pick it up.
Is there a way to tell if it's a wheated bottle of Willett by the label? I thought they just say bourbon. The only times I've ever known what's in them is when it's a store selection and the store made it known what they picked, but those aren't the ones sitting around on random shelves. If I knew a bottle was wheated I'd grab it, but since I don't I always leave the Willetts behind.
ReplyDeleteMax, you generally only know by word of mouth (and of palate). Word got out, from retailers mostly I think, that this was a wheated selection.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your mention of the the date being on the back label. I have several different aged bottles of misc. Willett Single Barrels - Uncut but all of my back labels only display a bottle # (i.e. 169/206). There is no reference to "barrel date". Is the barrel dates that you are referring only listed on older Willett offerings?
ReplyDeleteGood question Anon, and I should have clarified. Not all Willetts have dates listed. Some do and some don't and I don't know what rhyme or reason there is in the difference. Obviously, this only works for those that do have the date listed.
ReplyDeleteWhen a retailer (or a personal customer) buys a barrel of whiskey from KDB, what they get is what was in that barrel. When KDB does a bottling it MIGHT be from a single barrel or batch (in which case they'd probably note the year), or it might be a vatting of several barrels of different ages (and possibly sources) such as to make up the flavor profile they're looking to produce. Of course, then there wouldn't be a specific age or date listed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, FWIW, Buffalo Trace was providing a lot of the wheated bourbon for United Distillers at the time of the changeover to Bernheim. That's why they had so much aged wheated bourbon in stock when Julian Van Winkle began working with them. I believe some of that wheated bourbon also became the iconic Vi
Whoops!! I meant KBD.
ReplyDeleteGuess I'd better get myself another glass of Rollins Creek!
and the first comment was cut off. It was supposed to finish "...Virginia Gentleman Fox bourbon."
ReplyDeleteEllenJ, thanks for all the great info. I'm pretty sure that all the Willett Family Casks (as opposed to the Willett Pot Still) say "single barrel" on them which would preclude the kind of blending you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteErr, what now about The Fox? It always was a wheated bourbon? How about the 80 proof stuff?
ReplyDeleteWow, quite the bombshell for me, though a quick search turns up several references...
When K&L released their 21 year Willett they announced it was a Stitzel-Weller barrel. I was able to grab a bottle. The next month I ran across another 21 year in Virginia but no info on the mash bill, who bottled and it was a different barrel number by about 3,000. K&L is the only place that I have ever seen out a NDP's sourcing.
ReplyDeleteThe kicker is, I drank both and the one from Virginia was better.
Josh, I remember that K&L. It was pretty woody.
ReplyDeleteWryguy:
ReplyDeleteSku, I remember this coming up over on SB.com a while back, about KBD's vatting and rebarrelling whiskies, specifically their super aged ryes. That is why the bottle yield per barrel is so high on the Iron Fist and Velvet Glove, other barrels were vatted and aged in a single barrel at KBD. So though they use the term single barrel, it's a bit misleading. Also I ran across a post by Mike Veach on bourbon enthusiast from Jan 21 2007, where he states: "Drew told me none of his bourbons are the product of any one distillery. He creates the flavor profile by "marrying" or some would say "blending" straight bourbons of different ages from different distilleries to create the flavor profile he wants." I don't think this is their only practice in producing single barrels, but it explains why Drew Kulsveen gets a kick from someone saying that his bottlings are from one distillery or another, because they are probably blends from a couple. I'm just a noob, but that's what I've gleaned from the intertubes.
Forgive the question re the Willett's, Sku - but is the date on the outside or inside of the back label? (Outside more readable, obviously.) Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIf it's listed it will be on the regular back label. They don't all have it.
ReplyDelete