ContemplativeFox
Weller Special Reserve Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
June 30, 2020 (edited September 17, 2020)
Pleasantly sweet with caramel, nuts, and spice. The oil adds some creaminess but is a bit strong. Slightly tart and a bit bitter. A bit of apple is present. It's good, but not excellent. It needs more depth.
On the mild side for a bourbon, but not shallow. Thanks to not including rye, there is no mineral element. It's a bit like a brandy in its fruitiness, but it isn't bad. Despite the subdued flavor, there is some nice wood, sweet apple flavor, cinnamon undertone, smokey backing. There is something kind of generically sweet here, which might be caramel (not toffee) or honey. It's good and I'd be fine with drinking it, but it isn't excellent.
Kind of a bland nose with rye. The palate tastes fairly wheated, reminiscent of Maker's but mellower. There's spice and a kind of dry flavor. Sweetness and richness come out with a bit of fruit and a mix of mineral and apple. There's surprisingly little vanilla, which I find to be disappointing. It's sippable, but kind of underflavored with no stand-out qualities or terrific complexity.
The nose isn't terribly strong and some alcohol comes through. There's some muddled wood smell mixed with something a tad rancid, and maybe a hint of vanilla and the tiniest note of orange. The palate is fairly mild with some alcohol burn up front that gives way to a bit of sweetness with a watery element. It certainly has that mild wheated taste, but unfortunately there isn't much complexity. There's quite a bit of mild bitter backing with soft tannins that don't overwhelming and some tartness that helps to bring in a hint of fruit. There isn't much caramel here, though there is some vanilla. It reminds me of Chopin Wheat mixed with some bourbon. Some complexity eventually comes out, but the flavors are rather obscured. The finish is light and clean, but the wheat leaves too much vodka flavor in here. It's not that it isn't sweet so much as it is that the sweetness tastes like Chopin Wheat. The various other flavors are fine, but there isn't anything exceptional in here. Some apple and barrel flavors do come out, but the alcohol is pervasive and the other flavors are light. This is a contentious opinion to have, but Evan Williams Black might be slightly better.
50.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Guitar_mann I have to agree that this is just way overpriced. I can get multiple bottles of things I like better for the cost of one of these. And this isn't even the expensive Weller!
@ContemplativeFox. I live in the control state of NC. Anything I purchase locally is retail. If I travel to South Carolina or make a purchase online then I have to face the potential to spend more than retail on a bottle. I am willing to do that sometimes for something good or something unavailable here. However, not just because something is being chased. That being said, before I spent $79 on Special Reserve online(current price at Uptown Spirits), I would pick up a locally available bottle of Rebel Yell 100 for $19. Or, buy a couple bottles the months its on sale for $16. If I felt the need to spend the $39 that Special Reserve costs in NC, I would pick up Maker's 46 and be happy. Just my own wheater opinion.
@dhsilv2 those bottles bit look familiar! Without much knowledge of them I passed over them. Sounds like it’s time to canvas again and see what’s left. Thanks for the suggestions!
@WhiskeyLonghorn I did go a bit off into left field, emotions for the best of me. There’s something downright pleasant about most of BT’s products. I just wish I could find or afford them anymore.
@Ctrexman the 107 CAN be better, but the inconstencies in the 107 means about 20% of the bottles I've had, non store picks, have been flat out BAD. The SR however is almost always a consistent quality 20 dollar bottle.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I'd start with, and I think you can find one, the Down Home 12 year, batch 2. I might be a bit biased as I've gotten some free samples from the head guy there, but he sent them after I posted that the batch 2 rivaled some of the BTAC stuff. I love that stuff. I hear great things about sam houston 14, not sure if it's CS though. And technically batch 2 of downhome was proofed down like 3% as they found a drop of water was magic with that blend. Batch 1 is also amazing but it was a single cask while the batch 2 was a blend of I believe 5 barrels. From there, over priced the St Cloud 12 year is imo clearly barton and great. The calumet 14 is also barton but not CS, very nice, but not great. Hmm, I know I have more CS barton, of course a few bardstowns have used it in their discovery blends. I'll have to think more on what I have that's barton, but I know I have at least one more bottle personally in the collection. But yeah, the down home's alone are simply special, buy even at full retail of 145-150 on that batch 2. I bought 3 I liked it so much and I rarely buy even 2 of a bourbon over 100.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I'm trying to find more older MGPs to try. I'm beginning to suspect that, as you suggest, MGP mainly has a bad reap because it's used in a lot of cheap, young stuff. Ixnay on the JM cigar discussion though - the last thing we need is more people knowing about it!
This is decent wheater. The 107 is better and the 12yr even more so. I dont see why they are so rare its really not worth the secondary pricing
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington when I liked this post yesterday I didn’t expect such a spirited discussion/dumping on BT. I was just looking for some notes on Weller after finding a bottle in the wild at retail! After taking a pull I can see why folks like it. Seems miles ahead of Makers.
@dhsilv2 gotta ask, which of the CS Barton’s would you recommend? I’ve had a few 1792 full proof pics that are great but I’m guessing you have some better suggestions. Older MGP is quickly becoming the sleeper that I find smokes many other, bigger brand bourbons. JM cigar bourbon is top of my hunting list at the moment. All of that said, to keep the thread relevant you are spot on re. BT and hopefully as people flock toward it the CS behemoths will remains somewhat available.
@ContemplativeFox no justification necessary. Happy workers are productive workers - unless they work from home. Then [they] are called “day-drinkers.”
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I love the quote "where there's money to be made, there will be whiskey." I feel like I should use it to justify keeping a few bottles at my desk at work ;)
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington even gts is mild by 15 year cs offerings. buffalo trace is at all levels, sweet, limited finish, and not overly complex. GTS is great, but it is mild next to some of th 14 15 year cs mgpbir Barton offerings, mind you i like it as much or more.
@ContemplativeFox @dhsilv2 @WhiskeyLonghorn I blame it on a new generation of “light-whiskey” drinkers amidst a pandemic. I do think there will be a ceiling at which point people will turn from BT to other sweet/fruity and light bodied whiskey but few brands have that allure. Something like GTS would hurt them physically and emotionally. I think Longbranch might be going for it but many distilleries could be missing a chance to recruit new brand loyalists by focusing on big, complex bourbon. Where there’s money to be made, there will be whiskey.
@dhsilv2 @WhiskeyLonghorn That price was something like 18 months ago. I can't find it for $50 anymore, unfortunately. Now it's $80 to $90.
@anthology that's MSRP. Availablity might be regional but ohio sells everything at MSRP with a few oddities where it's a few bucks more or less (I'd assume old stock drives the lower prices).
@dhsilv2 The frustrating phenomena of regional whiskey pricing...urgh 😤
@jdriip on shelves all day for 22.99 in ohio, I don't even have a bottle and likely won't be picking another up anytime soon.
@dhsilv2 @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington the lowest price I have found locally for Weller Special Reserve is $39.99 and I’ve seen prices anywhere from $69.99 to $189.99!
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I do tend to find the special reserve as the "best" of these ~20 dollar bottles, and in ohio this is actually easier to get than "plain" buffalo trace which is at times dry here for months at a time. But it's a mixer that's drinkable neat and nothing more.
@dhsilv2 shelf prices here have risen from $18 two years ago to the $25-30 range amongst stores that I still consider reputable. It’s a shame hat the hype detracts from better bottles (ie. plain BT) but it’s becoming a pay to play issue along with the rest of the COVID-driven changes to the secondary.
@dhsilv2 right? I just paid $25 for it. Great buy at that price.
You paid $50 for the special reserve? What in the world?