Wolves Willett Collaboration The Rye Project Volume One Whiskey 750ml

Wolves x Willett Collaboration: The Rye Project Volume One Whiskey. Kentucky Bourbon Distillers / Jon Buscemi, Bardstown, Kentucky — a collaboration between Willett Distillery and Jon Buscemi, founder of the Wolves brand, blending a low-rye (51%) whiskey aged 6 years in new American oak with a bold high-rye (74%) expression aged 6 and 7 years from the Willett Distillery, bottled at 103 proof — oak, vanilla, dried dark fruit, butterscotch, and angel food cake on the palate with a medium-short finish of warm vanilla and rising spice.

The Rye Project is Jon Buscemi's whiskey program built around Willett — the collaboration framing the blend as a deliberate exploration of what different rye percentages produce from the same Bardstown production environment. Volume One is the founding release: a specific formula that marries the lower-rye expression's accessibility and oak sweetness against the high-rye Willett distillery character's spice and depth, resulting in a blend that documents both styles in a single glass at 103 proof.

The bottle's design carries Buscemi's aesthetic: the custom cork top is shaped like the knob of a baseball bat — a personal reference to a family heirloom — and the textured label was produced in partnership with a bespoke wine label producer in Sonoma County. Both the liquid and the presentation are collaboration artifacts from two very different creative traditions.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Oak, vanilla, pepper, dried fruit, butterscotch, copper, floral notes, and spice. The two-component blend creates more aromatic layering than either rye percentage alone.
• Palate: Oak, dried dark fruit, vanilla, butterscotch, and angel food cake with an oily mouthfeel. Rich and multi-dimensional at 103 proof.
• Finish: Medium-short with warm vanilla and rising spice.

Specs

• Distillery: Willett Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
• Collaboration: Wolves / Jon Buscemi
• Blend: 51% rye, 6 years, new American oak + 74% rye, 6–7 years, Willett Distillery
• ABV: 51.5% (103 proof)
• Size: 750ml

Browse the full rye collection at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Jon Buscemi and what is the Wolves brand? Jon Buscemi is a footwear and luxury goods designer who founded the Wolves brand as a creative spirits project. The custom cork top — shaped like the knob of a baseball bat referencing a family heirloom — and the Sonoma County bespoke label reflect Buscemi's design-forward aesthetic applied to a Kentucky whiskey collaboration.
• What is the Rye Project? Buscemi's ongoing series of rye whiskey collaborations with Willett, exploring different rye mash bill percentages and blending formulas. Volume One is the founding release of the program.
• How does blending 51% and 74% rye affect the flavor? Lower-rye mashes produce more corn sweetness and oak influence relative to grain spice. Higher-rye produces more pepper, dried fruit, and herbal complexity. Blending both creates a profile where the sweetness and oak from the lower-rye base are cut by the spice and depth of the higher-rye Willett distillery expression.