Willett Wheated 8 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey
Willett Wheated 8 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey answers the collector's question — what does Willett's own wheated whiskey taste like at real maturity? — with an estate-born Kentucky straight bourbon bottled at 108 proof (54% ABV) in a 750ml bottle: distilled in spring 2013, aged a full eight years in Char #4 American oak, and bottled non-chill filtered in summer 2022 by the Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Replacing rye with wheat in the mash bill gives it the round, creamy sweetness wheated bourbons are famous for, at a proof that keeps it serious. Order Willett Wheated 8 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
- ABV / Proof: 54% ABV (108 proof)
- Size: 750ml
- Age: 8 years (distilled spring 2013; bottled summer 2022)
- Mash bill: 65% corn, 20% wheat, 15% malted barley; barreled at 115 proof in Char #4 American oak
- Filtration: Non-chill filtered
- Origin: Distilled, aged and bottled by Willett Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky (estate distillate)
- Accolade: No. 43 on Fred Minnick's Top 100 American Whiskeys of 2022
Willett's Own Wheat, at Full Maturity
Willett built its name selecting and bottling other distillers' barrels long before its modern Bardstown stills ever fired. The Wheated 8 Year is the family's own distillate start to finish — copper column and pot stills, a proprietary wheated mash bill barreled at 115 proof, eight years in heavily charred American oak, and no chill filtration to preserve the natural oils. Collectors note the first release runs closer to nine years in the barrel than its stated eight. It arrives in the line's distinctive opaque black-glass bottle with a royal purple foil cap.
Tasting Notes
Caramel, vanilla bean and warm cornbread on the nose, with baking spice and toasted oak underneath. The palate opens with honey and butterscotch, the wheat delivering its signature creamy sweetness before dried fruit, nutmeg, cocoa and gentle nuttiness build toward the peak. The finish is long and warming — oak spice, vanilla custard, a touch of chocolate — with real weight from the 108 proof but no harshness.
How to Enjoy
Sip neat to meet the full spectrum of the whiskey, or add a few drops of water to soften the proof and open the wheat's natural sweetness. A large ice sphere gives a slower, balanced pour. It also makes an exceptional Old Fashioned for drinkers who like their bourbon rich and wheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mash bill of Willett Wheated 8 Year? 65% corn, 20% wheat and 15% malted barley — a true wheated bourbon with no rye — barreled at 115 proof in Char #4 American oak.
What proof is Willett Wheated 8 Year Old Bourbon? 108 proof (54% ABV), bottled non-chill filtered.
Is Willett Wheated 8 Year hard to find? It was released in highly curated quantities starting summer 2022 and remains a coveted collector bottle among bourbon enthusiasts.
Browse more Willett bourbons and the store's wheated and high-rye bourbon shelf for comparison pours.
Order Willett Wheated 8 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA — a rare, mature wheater from one of Bardstown's most collectible names.