dhsilv2
Weller Special Reserve Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
September 1, 2019 (edited April 17, 2021)
So I concluded the 107 was over priced, lower quality, and aspartame notes ruined it for me. Not a shocker given I tend to not really care for that one, despite the fact that I keep buying it in hopes I get what others drool over. So how will the cheaper and actually still reasonably priced 20 dollar sibling do?
Nose - well there isn't much here is my first note. Pretty standard bourbon notes...vanilla caramel, and maybe 10% more oak than you might expect in cheaper/younger wellers. Classic "smooth" well drink nose if that makes any sense to you. Mind you, most wells are "a bit harsh" as thus why people who aren't whisky drinkers pay more for something else.
Taste - Caramel! It just jumps out and says HELLO! Followed by oak and alcohol. The oak notes are younger, unfinished wood, a touch of saw dusty and maybe a light nutty note in the background. This is really full flavor and pleasant.
Finish - just some of that cheaper wood note and alcohol.
I'm honestly impressed more and more every time I go back to these WSR's. They're nothing special, but for 20 bucks you get everything you want from a buffalo trace product outside of the age and premium barrel selections. It wouldn't shock me if a single barrel store pick of this could be a 4 star bourbon and thus why I'm actually pretty excited for the people who are going to get to try the full proof (I'll never see a bottle I'm sure). So yes, I think this is better and more enjoyable than the 107 while only being 5% less "intense" in terms of flavor despite being more 90 proof vs 107.
Scoring this a 1.75, it's nothing special but given the price point is in EVERYONE's budget, even those who tend to buy the 10 dollar bourbons, you can splurge for this one. If won't be for all, some people just want a bite, they want spice, they want huge alcohol...I get that. But for everyone else this is a really high quality bottle. I only wish I had a buffalo trace (which yes is harder for me in ohio to get than this) to do a side by side right now. I could be convinced to go full 2.5 stars in terms of how I would generally grade, but I can't due to this really doesn't have anything special about it. It's just quality generic somewhat boring bourbon...but if that's what you love, this is one of the best options.
20.0
USD
per
Bottle
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Yeah Cincinnati has a pretty good weller supply, BT is oddly enough a bit more work to get and forget about eagle rare. My memory is that BT has more wood notes so perhaps that's the rye note? I can't recall if these are both the same mash bill or if they're different. Weller's sweeter from memory and more drinkable perhaps. Both are good bottom shelf daily drinkers which have become harder to get and become more "premium" due to rarity. At least bottom shelf at a nice place, no disrespect to the evan willams of the world.
Just did a side to side with BT. Here in Lexington BT is often available whereas Weller rarely makes it to the shelf. To be honest the BT makes me think of a more balanced Weller with some rye spice to complement the finish. Both are good, cheap and great for introducing folks to bourbon neat. In a blind taste test I’m guessing I’d take Larceny over either of the above. Cheers