Who says lightning never strikes twice? We thought lightning struck last year when we selected a 14-year-old Willett Family Estate Bourbon, better known as the Purple Top. Now, lightning has struck again. We are proud to offer another 14-year-old Willett Family Estate single barrel, one of the most elusive bourbon bottles, hand-selected by The Prime Barrel. But this time, there’s an important difference: Willett Distillery distilled this bourbon.
The Willett Family Estate Purple Top built its legendary reputation on extraordinary barrels of bourbon distilled by others during a period the Willett family had stepped away from distilling. Then, on January 27, 2012, fifth-generation family member Drew Kulsveen helped lead Willett’s return to distilling, firing up the stills and beginning a new chapter for the family distillery. This barrel was distilled just seven weeks later, on March 15, 2012, making it the 138th barrel Willett filled after resuming distillation - placing it among the earliest examples of modern Willett-distilled bourbon.
As if being one of Willett’s earliest barrels wasn’t enough, this bourbon was made using the Willett OG mashbill - 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley. That grain combination, with its unusually high malted barley content, gives Willett’s original bourbon recipe a distinct structural character and adds depth and texture.
The barrel then spent 14 years maturing on the 1st floor of Warehouse A, which dates to the beginning of Willett’s history. Over time, the bourbon developed its distinctive character of rich sweetness, cinnamon spice, and mature oak as it interacted with the oak, smoothing the sharper edges this mashbill can show in its youth. It entered the barrel at 125 proof and emerged at cask strength of 116.8 proof.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice often. Exceptional bourbon doesn’t either.
We caught lightning in a bottle with this Willett Family Estate 14-year-old Bourbon single barrel, a remarkably early example of Willett-distilled whiskey made from the distillery’s original 1936 bourbon mashbill. This rare bourbon won’t sit on the shelf for long. Get your bottle while you still can.
