William Larue Weller Bourbon (Fall 2019)

So this is it - my unicorn bourbon. I once called the Buffalo Trace gift shop. There was no answer but I left a message along the lines of what sorts of bourbons I might find there. It was years ago and an incredibly naive question. The best part - that afternoon I got a call! The gentleman in the other end was kind and soft spoken. We talked for probably 20 minutes about Blanton’s, Eagle rare and Weller special reserve showing up at the gift shop and how they differed. He describes the mash bills and the flavor nuances. I mentioned Pappy - he laughed. What he said next though changed how I saw bourbon. His favorite, if he could pick one single bottle, would be this. William Larue Weller is the king of the growing Weller franchise. It’s older and more concentrated and sadly quite rare. Understatement, until tonight I wasn’t convinced it existed. Compared to Weller Antique it has more fruit and more wood. Compared to Weller full proof it has much older, dustier earthy and oak notes. It’s like comparing a grape to a raisin. The nose is perhaps one of the greatest I’ve encountered. Vanilla frosting, dusty cherries, old oak, brown sugar, bananas foster, tobacco, heat, chestnut, coconut. There might be more but that comes close. Wow. Smooth vanilla frosting, then building heat (unlike the wooden club that is GTS), clove, allspice, furniture polish, fig, dried cherries, ginger, oak, chestnut. Long finish with a bit of allspice, clove, polish, tobacco. More tobacco and vanilla frosting, brown sugar and dried cherries… the finish goes on. I can see where this comes from OWA or Weller full proof (a wimpy 114 proof I might add). Weller special reserve and 12 are nothing like it - or at least are watered down and a far stretch in complexity. Is it my true unicorn? It might be my favorite BT product for the strong tobacco and earthy notes along with rich sweetness and balanced oak. I can’t say that I haven’t had better though. I can say that tonight, with friends in early fall when barrels are being roles out and whiskey is ready for its annual mass exodus from Kentucky that this is special. Maybe if I’m lucky one will follow me home some day. Until then there are plenty of outstanding bourbons, whiskeys and whiskys to enjoy. Cheers everyone and for those following along and sharing thanks for adding to the richness of this shared journey!

Cozy Shak vanilla pudding, cherry cordial, huge delectable nose. Big cinnamon candies on palate. It’s warm for sure.

The pinnacle of bourbon. Nose is endless vanilla, honey, and even cake batter. Extremely pleasant to drink despite the sky high proof, with immense notes of caramel, spice, vanilla, and dried fruit. The finish is understandably intense but clean, with more notes of dried fruit and apricot. High proof gives it a pleasantly astringent mouthfeel.

Green apple vanilla on the nose with oak coming in as it opens up. Oily and full, spice and vanilla on the taste.