Does Willett Live Up To The HYPE? | Willett 4 Year Rye vs Pikesville Rye BLIND REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 17 лип 2024
- GLASS ONE: Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye, 106.8 proof, ~$70 retail pricing
GLASS TWO: Pikesville Rye, 110 proof, ~$50 retail pricing
0:00 -- Intro
1:00 -- First Impressions
5:50 -- Tasting Discussion
9:18 -- Reveal & Reactions
12:24 -- Real World Scores
15:00 -- Who Are These For?
17:25 -- Bloopers
We entered this pairing into our blind sample pool because they're both crowd favorite ryes with similar proof points but differing availability. Is the rarity of Willett justified or is Pikesville as good for less money and less hassle? We find out.
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🏆 OUR SCORING SYSTEM EXPLAINED 🏆
We give each product a REAL WORLD SCORE based on the taste (nose, flavor, and experience), price and availability (retail rating), and whether we'd buy it again or not (consumer rating). All of this is informed entirely by our double-blind tasting.
There are 10 overall points available, but think of our 10-point scale as more of a bell curve.
REAL WORLD SCORES in the 4-6 point range are average, solid products. The further we get from that middle range, the more or less exceptional a product is to us.
Rather than assigning a random number between 0 and 10 for scoring, products earn points in five categories through what we call common sense “thumbs up” scoring in each category.
WE LIKE IT? Thumbs up = +1 point. 👍
WE LOVE IT? Two thumbs up = +2 points. 👍 👍
WE COULD TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT? Just okay = +0.5 points.
WE HATE IT? Thumbs down = 0 points. 👎
DISCLAIMER: Our scoring is merely a reference point to compare pours over time. We believe whiskey is to be enjoyed and shared with those you care about--that's what our channel is all about. Our scoring system is largely tongue-in-cheek. We hope it can serve as a resource to you inasmuch as you can use it to compare to your own preferences and hopefully help inform your future purchases. Whiskey, just like life, is best when you don't take it too seriously and you simply enjoy the journey. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers!
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Great Review, glad I found you guys. I live in the Boro, so great to see some locals with great reviews!
Cheers neighbor!
Thanks - great review. LOVE the new overlays on the video with the scoring analysis too! I tried the Willett Rye back in July when we toured the distillery, and it was just OK, so I crossed it off my "buy" list, but I had also just tasted Noah's Mill, which I thought was great. Love BOTH of your perspectives in these reviews. Keep up the great work! If I can spot a Pikesville at a decent price, I might be inclined to buy it.
Thanks so much Timm! We pre-film a few weeks at a time and figured the graphics out after a batch of filming. We've since altered the way in which we record and the new way of delivering info will be much more streamlined with the new graphics and a lot easier to follow for viewers. We can't wait!
y’all are great. thanks
I agree with you. I bought a bottle of Willet Estate Rye years ago and completely love it. I generally make plans to enjoy a dram of this. The next would be my Midwinter Night Dram. But this stuff rocks.
MWND and Willett are two of our "special rye" bottles here (MWND for Josh, Willett for Erin). That matchup may even be in our blind sample pool at some point. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Pikesville to my palate reminds me of a Christmas spiced cake with a rich vanilla frosting. I also get a tiny bit of citrus on it as well. Excellent comparison video. Cheers!
When we're not tasting blind we can get some of that as well Christopher. It's a great pour for sure. Cheers and thanks for watching!
love the scoring system and love the on-screen graphic with emojis
Thanks so much! We use this scoring system for a very specific reason, and the new graphics are definitely helping to make it simpler to understand, but we record in batches so this and the next three head-to-heads were recorded with the old graphics in mind. In a few weeks the way in which we film will catch up with the new graphics and it'll be even easier to follow along with. We can't wait!
Have only had the Pikesville and love it … hope to try the Willet soon 😋 … great head to head guys 👍
Thanks so much SLWC! Cheers!
Great Review, right on everything I think, Although totally different Two of the best bottles of Rye on the Shelves thanks Guys for the Review. *****
And thank YOU for watching Phillip. Cheers!
She likes the grass tea!
Willett Rye is so very distinctive and well done. The grassy herbal mint notes aren't for my palate but everyone is different.
Well said William. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Josh's final comment on the blooper = pitch perfect.
Gotta love a good blooper. Cheers taiko!
I really like both of these but my go-to store stopped carrying Pikesville so now I have to hunt around for it.
Oh no! Of all the products a store could drop, that wouldn't have been one we thought would get the axe. Sorry to hear that Jason!
Excellent review really! Totally agree with Josh on the Pikesvile. Im not a fan of the yoinger Willett ryes... Also, i find Willett peppery, hot, ethanol & the Pikesville Rye is creamy. Vanilla, smooth depite the 110 proof since its a low rye, rye
Spot on, Joseph. Thanks for watching!
Enjoyed the review. I’m a scotch drinker so don’t know anything about bourbon or rye. I need to investigate Cheers
Thanks so much WLS! We're the opposite but delving into the world of Scotch more these days--this coming Saturday's video is of us doing a peated Scotch flight. It's a mess--a fun, wonderful mess. Cheers!
It's the Willett funky yeast. So distinctive.
They're definitely doing something different. Cheers and thanks for watching Craig!
I have enjoyed willett rye for many years … sadly it’s getting a bit difficult to locate … but on the upside I buy as many bottles as I can when I find it …. So as I told my nephew my whisky, bourbon and rye collection is his when I pass …. His responses was …. “ So Tio …How are you feeling ? “😂😂😂
😂😂
I get a green tea ice cream flavor off of my Willett. I agree that its profile is so unlike anything else in my collection, but it's a nice surprise. Luckily Willett rye is only $55 where I am.
They're doing funky, different stuff up there at Willett. It's definitely nice for a change of pace. Cheers Arik!
I greatly prefer pikesville. They are equally available where i am. Ive never not been able to get willet rye. Willet is way too pickly to me
Aidan and Josh, two peas in a pod.
I absolutely love Willett 4 year Rye. Luckily when I visit my parents I can find it easy in Louisiana for 45.
In the Twin Cities Willet's gone from $45 to $70 in just a year and a half. I'm glad it's not my thing (mine is very brassie on the mid-pallet).
For $45 it would be difficult not to try nearly every batch we ran across. That's a great price!
I think having the Willet first kinda blew out your palate (heavier on the rye qualities). Might have been different if you had them other way around.
Fair concern Mike, although we take plenty of time after the first impressions to clear our palates and start with the Glass Two first and then do plenty of back-and-forth. The goal is to simply pick on preference, and our results shook out to reflect how we feel about these even when we aren't tasting blind. Cheers and thanks for watching as always buddy!
WHISKEY CHEERS
Belated cheers Jay G!
No way I expected Erin's scores to be so low on a rye review.
Josh here. Her scoring is stingy regardless. Something has to *REALLY* impress her to get into "two thumbs up" territory in any single category.
You cant be wrong on tasting notes. You taste what you taste.
Pikesville is a good “bourbon” for the money and Willett is a great rye…in my opinion.
You’re definitely not wrong. Neither are favorites of ours as we’ve found things we prefer more, but both are certainly solid value and quality for the money. Cheers Coltrane and thanks for watching!
The pikesville is “barely legal” rye
Correct. 51% rye content feels like it's more the rule than the exception when it comes to Kentucky ryes. Thanks for watching Jason!
Pikesville is so much more consistent than Willett.
A bad batch of Willett will be worse than the Pikesville, while a really good batch of Willett will destroy the Pikesville.
Of course that is only my opinion.
That's actually a good point SLITW. Cheers!
For me, Willett was not good at all. There is too much clove taste, which is killed all other notes.