{"product_id":"willett-family-estate-18-year-single-barrel-bourbon-1204-115-8-proof-750ml","title":"Willett Family Estate 18 Year Single Barrel Bourbon #1204 115.8 Proof 750ml","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBarrel #1204 at 115.8 proof after eighteen years — one of the long-aged sourced Willett Family Estate single barrels, hand selected and hand bottled in Bardstown.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEighteen years is at the far end of what Kentucky bourbon survives. The state's temperature swings push whiskey in and out of the wood far harder than a cooler climate would, and most casks are tannic and hollowed out well before they get there. The ones that hold together are the reason barrel selection exists as a discipline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWillett didn't distil this. Its own production restarted in 2012, so eighteen-year stock under the Family Estate label was bought as mature bourbon from another Kentucky producer and chosen by Willett for individual bottling. The distillery of origin isn't named on the bottle, and we won't attribute one without documentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 57.9% ABV, #1204 came out lower than the younger sourced barrels — typical of a long stay in a humid warehouse position, and the reason an eighteen-year bourbon at this strength tends to read polished rather than punishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTasting Profile\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeasoned oak, dark caramel, vanilla bean and aged leather opening into brown sugar, dark cherry, baking spice and toasted nuts; full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, balancing mature oak against caramelized sweetness, closing long on vanilla, tobacco and dark fruit. Single-barrel whiskey varies cask to cask, so this reflects what eighteen years at this proof is known for rather than notes from this bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecs\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Willett Family Estate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRelease:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single barrel, hand selected and hand bottled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAge:\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 years\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBarrel:\u003c\/strong\u003e No. 1204\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProof:\u003c\/strong\u003e 115.8 (57.9% ABV)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sourced Kentucky bourbon — not distilled by Willett\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBottled by:\u003c\/strong\u003e Willett Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 750ml\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplore the full \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodencork.com\/collections\/willett\"\u003eWillett collection\u003c\/a\u003e or browse all \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodencork.com\/collections\/bourbon\"\u003ebourbon at Wooden Cork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIs eighteen years too old for Kentucky bourbon?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can be. Kentucky's climate drives whiskey through the wood aggressively, and plenty of casks turn bitter and over-extracted past fifteen. The barrels that don't are exceptional, and selecting them is precisely what the sourced-era Family Estate program was doing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the proof lower than younger Willett barrels?\u003c\/strong\u003e Warehouse humidity. In damp positions a cask loses alcohol faster than water and the proof falls over time; in dry ones it climbs. At 115.8 after eighteen years, #1204 spent its life somewhere humid — which also tends to produce softer, rounder whiskey.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDid Willett distil it?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. Willett restarted distillation in 2012, so eighteen-year stock under this label is necessarily sourced. Willett selected and hand bottled the barrel; the producer isn't identified and we don't guess.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Willett","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54310159876464,"sku":"Scott","price":3999.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/1621\/5176\/files\/Photoroom_20260902_014249.jpg?v=1789423668","url":"https:\/\/woodencork.com\/products\/willett-family-estate-18-year-single-barrel-bourbon-1204-115-8-proof-750ml","provider":"Wooden Cork","version":"1.0","type":"link"}