Willett Family Estate 13 Year Old "Hell in a Bucket" Bourbon Whiskey Cask #33

Willett Family Estate 13 Year Bourbon "Hell in a Bucket" from Cask #33 is a singular, deeply expressive barrel that showcases the distillery’s most luxurious old-style Kentucky character. Rich, brooding, and full of mature oak complexity, this is a collector-caliber bourbon delivering dark fruit, polished spice, and decadent sweetness wrapped in a remarkably long, elegant finish.

Origins & Craftsmanship

This 13-year expression is part of the highly sought-after Willett Family Estate Single Barrel series — the distillery’s most limited and prestigious line. Distilled, barrel-aged, and bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky, it comes exclusively from a single barrel selected as Cask #33, ensuring an unrepeatable flavor profile.

The bourbon is matured for a full 13 years in new, #4 char American-oak barrels. Long aging in the Kentucky climate intensifies concentration, creating dense layers of vanilla, spice, oak sugars, and dark fruit. Bottled at cask strength 59.8% ABV, this release preserves the barrel’s natural proof and character — no blending, dilution, or filtering.

Each Willett 13-year barrel is known for its individuality, and Cask #33 stands out for its depth, its polished structure, and its exceptionally long, silky finish.

Critics Reviews

Professional whiskey reviewers consistently place Willett Family Estate 13 Year among the most desirable modern Kentucky bourbons. Critics often highlight its “old-world density” and “luxurious balance of oak and dark fruit,” calling these single barrels “benchmark examples of mature, barrel-strength bourbon done correctly.”

Many tasting panels praise the line for delivering a perfect equilibrium between age and elegance — noting that Willett’s 13-year casks often avoid the bitterness or over-oakiness common in older bourbon. Instead, they emphasize complexity, finesse, and a signature deep fruit-and-spice profile that has earned the series cult-level acclaim.

Tasting Profile

Nose:
Warm waves of caramelized brown sugar, dark cherry, seasoned oak, tobacco leaf, and vanilla bean. Secondary aromas of cocoa, baked fig, toasted pecan, and subtle clove add richness and dimension.

Palate:
Full-bodied and silky, opening with dark caramel, toffee, and maple-syrup depth. Layers of black cherry, dried plum, and molasses unfold, followed by cinnamon bark, roasted nuts, cocoa nibs, and polished oak. The cask strength amplifies warmth without harshness, delivering power and refinement in equal measure.

Finish:
Exceptionally long and elegant. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, aged oak, spiced fruit, leather, and sweet tobacco slowly fade into a balanced, warming glow. A classic mature-bourbon finish — deep, resonant, and memorable.

Quick Overview