Willett partnered with Kings of Leon to release a series of Willett whiskies under the Kiamichi label. I haven’t listened to King of Leon since “Sex on Fire” was big in the 00s but I’m always in for a new Willett release. I missed the 19 year old bourbon but grabbed both the 5 and 8 year old ryes.
Kiamichi 5 Year rye
Age: 5 years
Proof: 108
Neat
Notes: The nose is minty and herbaceous. Great mouthfeel for the proof. Nice herbal and spice blend with some vanilla sweetness on the palate. A slight bitter note toward the end. Long warm finish with more vanilla and spice.
Stars: 1 - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
Kiamichi 8 Year rye
Age: 8 year
Proof: 110
Neat
Notes: Outstanding nose, sweet with herbal tea and vanilla cream notes with fainter caramel and oak. The palate is minty and oaky with more tea as well. The finish was similar to the 5 year but a bit oakier.
Stars: 3 - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
Conclusion
The 5 year was very good but it was a steep price for 5 year old rye. The 8 on the other hand took everything good about the 5 and turned it up a notch or 2. I’m very glad to have a backup of the 8. That said I would take any of my 8 year WFE SiB ryes over it.
TL;DR: The 5 was good but the 8 was better in every way(other than price). Not quite at the level of WFE SiB ryes.