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Monday, November 3, 2014
Willett XCF: Orange You Glad It's a New Willett?
Willett XCF Exploratory Cask Finish is a seven year old MGP rye finished in Grand Marnier casks. It appears that this is the first release of a new series of finished whiskeys from Willett.
Grand Marnier is made by macerating bitter orange peel, distilling it and then aging it for two years in bourbon casks. After that, it is combined with Cognac and sweetened. The rye in this Willett is aged in the bourbon casks that were used to age the orange distillate before sweetening, so it's not as if the casks has Grand Marnier in them.
Willett XCF, Version 1.0, 7 yo, 51.7% abv ($150)
The orange spice notes hit you right away on the nose. It's got bitter orange with cloves, like an orange spice tea. The palate is more traditional MGP rye profile with aggressive spice, then some orange comes in, though it's not as strong as on the nose. The finish is typical MGP rye.
This is a really creative and interesting way to manipulate the very familiar MGP rye. The rye spice and orange work well together. The flavors are well integrated such that the orange is clearly present but not dominant.
It's too bad the price is so high on this or it would be an easy recommendation. I know times have changed, but I still feel like if I shell out three figures for a whiskey, it should blow me away. That being said, this is a good whiskey that gets points for being unique.
Willett XCF is currently only available at the Willett gift shop, but it appears that it will see wider release later this fall.
i bet one can achieve similar effect by simply adding a drop or two of orange bitters to one's pour
ReplyDeletethanks for the review sku. this one is hard for me. it seems like most that have tried it enjoy it, but is it worth the $130-150 at retail? not so sure...
ReplyDeleteI was truly interested in this bottling when I first heard about given my interest in unique finishes and a desire to see bourbon and American whiskey continue to explore this arena. Then I heard what the price was. It is truly disappointing. With Smooth Ambler as one example, and perhaps others, producing excellent barrel picks of 7yo MGP rye for something close to $40 there is just no way that the Grand Marnier finishing can justify an extra $100+ in cost. I have no idea if I can recreate this whiskey (or even want to) especially if I don't get a chance to try it first. Quite possibly I will still break down and buy one if the chance presents itself (The cost itself is not prohibitive and I certainly have a bunker full of overpriced and underperforming bottles as it is!) but I am really going to try not to. For me this is the new poster child of the absurdity of the recent price inflation in the American market and it is an extremely disappointing one. I recognize demand is increasing and prices are likely to continue to increase for the foreseeable future. I also recognize the Willet is not alone in this new and seemingly aggressive pricing structure we are experiencing but this one seems particularly egregious. As a result it may well mark the end of Willett on my bar for the foreseeable future as well. It is the only way I know of that I can respond to indicate my disappointment.
ReplyDeleteBingo, Pat.
ReplyDeleteAnother simple solution is to just drop a piece of fresh orange rind (about 4 cm^2)into the whatever distillate you care to sip (any NDP version of MPG rye will do nicely I'm sure) 5 min before you want to enjoy it. That's essentially how I eased into drinking this stuff they call whiskey, but I doubt I'll pay $150 for someone else to do it for me.
ReplyDeleteSku, since you have had the benefit of trying it I wonder if you would share your opinion on whether this is something more complex than simply adding orange bitters/rind/zest/Grand Marnier/whatever to a handy and reasonably priced version of 6 to 7yo MGP rye? I am inclined to think that you can't really duplicate it that easily irrespective of my thoughts on the price.
ReplyDeleteAdding Grand Marnier would add too much sweetness (remember, the casks used are used for the macerated orange before it is sweetened), but orange bitters might do the trick.
ReplyDeleteIt would be really interesting to do a side by side of a Willett 7 year MGP rye with orange bitters and the XCF.
Horse racing has been referred to as the Sport of Kings. With prices reaching the stratosphere, whisky is rapidly becoming the Drink of Kings.
ReplyDelete"sku said...
ReplyDeleteAdding Grand Marnier would add too much sweetness (remember, the casks used are used for the macerated orange before it is sweetened), but orange bitters might do the trick."
Interesting. If the opportunity presents itself I will do just that and report how it goes!
Way overpriced, I paid closer to 180$ with tax in DC, I wanted to try it since it's a hard one to find, get it if you love the orange liquor flavor, in my opinion it lacks complexity and long finish, perhaps bottling at barrel strength will be more enjoyable, how to see that in future releases or once the product goes mainstream
ReplyDelete