Bourbon made and bottled by hand in small batches, at a higher proof than most of what Willett sends out — and yet it drinks with a genuine smoothness rather than heat. The mash bill leans hard on corn (72%), and the whiskey is sour mash fermented in stainless with a proprietary yeast before a two-part distillation: a copper-and-stainless column still, then a Vendome copper pot still built on the model of Willett's own original patented still. It then sits four to eight years in new char #4 American oak, with no age statement on the bottle — the house creed is to use the best ingredients available, mind the details, and then give the whiskey the time and space it needs. The name is local and literal: Rowan's Creek runs through the family distillery estate, and Even Kulsveen drew the label by hand himself. Part of Willett's Small Batch Boutique Bourbon Collection, and one of the more rewarding bottles in it for someone who wants a high-proof bourbon that's as happy sipped neat as it is in an Old Fashioned.