Good timing... I came here to post about a Willett sample that @Yung generously sent to me.
TBH, I am not a fan of the Willett pot still bourbon in the Genie bottle. I've tried it a few times and it's just not for my taste. YMMV, of course.
In talking with Yung, he was confident that their 8 year Wheated would be a different experience. He was very right.
The Wheated 8 started out a bit spicy and you could smell just a bit of fruit over the alcohol (108 proof, IIRC). First sip was just ok, with the alcohol and spice overwhelming the palate. I set it aside and started up the grill, lit a cigar and came back to it about 15 minutes later.... Wife had come outside (80'F here yesterday) and after I took another sniff I passed her the glass and asked what she thought... "Pears", she said... "and vanilla", then she immediately took a sip and said "very nice!"... I was only slightly frowny about it, since I had not yet tasted it after waiting....
With the alcohol and spice having mellowed, there was lots of honey and brown sugar (more towards brown sugar and chocolate, than caramel), great mouth feel/viscosity, slightly fruity (pear, cherry) on the finish... Very nice and worth waiting for it to open.
Many thanks to Yung for his generosity..
I want this guys bar....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KKK262eZpY