Weller Full Proof Bourbon

Good Spirits pick #1

Good Spirits Pick #2

Really hot and spicy, borderline unsippable. Good malt and oak core, but I would more quickly defile with honey and bitters 🙇‍♂️ Don't believe the hype.

Safeway store pick (of all places) in Phoenix Arizona. Complex nose of Fuji apple, custard, vanilla, raspberry, butterscotch, barrel spice, oak, and char. Low ethanol level for the proof as long as you don’t jam your nose below the lip of the glass. Palate matches the nose precisely, so as not to be repetitive see above. Apple, butterscotch, and barrel spice come in hard. Flavors have richness and depth but an effervescence to them as well. Definitely punchy. Oak rides underneath to add balance without coming to the forefront. This is not a “dark” whiskey; it’s a bright one. Think powdered sugar not molasses, butterscotch not toffee. Really nice job of integrating fruity, spicy, and “sugar candy” flavors. Finish is ungodly long with cinnamon, ginger, charcoal, and a hint of menthol. Wait, I’m not doing that justice because the elements of the palate also linger into the finish. It doesn’t change so much as “evolves” if that makes sense. Mouthfeel is actually pretty light, but suits the flavor profile perfectly; any heavier would be a mismatch. This whiskey dances on the front of the tongue not the back of the throat, and the tingle is pleasant. Ok, I give in. The hype is real here. This is great. I paid $50 but I understand from people in my area that Safeway made a huge mistake and they were supposed to sell it for $200. Let’s get this out of the way; at $50 it’s “clear every bottle on the shelf” status. At say $80, I would not feel ripped off. Would I pay the $200-$250 price tag this goes for on secondary? No, too rich for my blood, but if you have the cash it is pretty exceptional.