Why Is Weller Bourbon Popular?
Weller bourbon has surged in popularity the past few years due to the fact that it is the same mash bill (grain recipe) as the impossible to find Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Buffalo Trace is where they distill and age their wheated mash bill bourbon and select the best barrels for their Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, the next tier of barrels for Rip Van Winkle Bourbon and the barrels that don’t quite make the cut will be bottled as Weller. Where the barrels are stored in the warehouse, age and weather all play a role in how the bourbon matures. Buffalo Trace Distillery makes and ages the bourbon, but the Van Winkle family still comes in each year to taste and determine which barrels make the cut to be considered “Pappy”.
Pappy Van Winkle is easily the most sought after bourbon and if you can’t find it, there is a reasoning out there that Weller is the next best thing. Historically the Weller brand has been considered bottom shelf and was easily accessible until the mid 2010’s. Consumers started clearing the shelves of Weller when Pappy wasn’t available and a trend started around this same time of selling bottles on the secondary market (Facebook, Craigslist, Auction Houses). There was a demand outpacing supply and people could make some quick cash reselling these bottles. Is it illegal, yes but for the most part never penalized by the law.
Who Was William Larue Weller?
Weller bourbon is named after William Larue Weller who began his career as a whiskey wholesaler and distiller. He built his brand’s popularity in the late 1800’s and ended up naming it W. L. Weller & Sons, selling “Honest whiskey at an honest price”. William L. Weller is credited as being the first distiller to substitute wheat in his bourbon recipe instead of rye grain. The wheat gives the bourbon sweet and smooth taste compared to bourbons with rye (think rye vs wheat bread). His wheated bourbon became so popular he began placing green thumbprints on the bottles to ensure authenticity.
W. L. Weller ended up hiring a young man named Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle as a salesman in the late 1890’s. W. L. Weller ended up passing away in 1899. A few years later in 1908, “Pappy” ended up buying W. L. Weller & Sons. Pappy ran the company and eventually decided to merge his company at the beginning of prohibition with Arthur Stitzel’s distillery to form the Stitzel-Weller distillery.
The Weller Lineup
Weller Special Reserve (Green Label)
– 90 proof aged around 4-7 years
Old Weller Antique (Red Label)
– 107 proof aged around 6-8 years
Weller 12 year (black label)
– 90 proof aged 12 years
Weller Full Proof (Blue label)
– 114 proof aged around 6-8 years
Weller CYBP (White label)
– 95 proof aged 8 years
Weller Single Barrel (Orange label)
– 97 proof aged around 6-7 years
As of 2023 this is the current Weller lineup Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlan Wheatley has put together. These bottles are in high demand, difficult to find and some command high prices on the secondary market. I will review the Weller Special Reserve, Old Weller Antique and Weller 12 in different posts here!
Weller Special Reserve (The Original Wheated Bourbon Whiskey) Review
Weller Special Reserve MSRP is around $25-30 for a 750 mL bottle and bottled at 90 proof. I poured this neat in a glencairn and let rest for around 10 minutes.
Color – Light amber
Aroma – A lot of sweetness. This is fruit forward with touches of fresh apple, cherry and pear. Brown sugar and caramel.
Taste – First taste is barrel char, almost a burnt characteristic, caramel and brown sugar. Very thin mouthfeel. Hints of sweetness and fruit. This is showing its younger age with a bit of a grainy taste and alcohol. Age does wheated bourbon wonders and this needs a few more years in the barrel.
Finish – A light finish that is a little harsh even for 90 proof. Not the most enjoyable finish in a bourbon. alcohol and grainy
Rating – 5.8/10
This bottle gets a lot of attention because it comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery and has connections to the famed Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Attention does not always translate to quality and this bottle is an entry level wheated bourbon and that is it. Weller Special Reserve is a young wheated bourbon at a low proof and leaves you wanting more. For as hard as it is to find this bottle don’t go out of your way or spend too much. There are many other bottles on the shelf that are much better, easier to find and probably cheaper.
I will admit this bottle was a gateway bottle to Buffalo Trace’s wheated mashbill for me. Weller Special Reserve is a great bourbon for sipping, especially for a beginning bourbon drinker. At 90 proof it is very approachable, has classic bourbon tasting notes and features an exceptionally smooth finish. I would be sipping or making cocktails with WSR (W L Weller Special Reserve). This can be a bit bland neat and a little boring once you have drank some of the more complex and older wheated bourbons.
My recommendation for a wheated bourbon substitute if you can’t find WSR would be Maker’s Mark. The Maker’s Mark line is always on the shelf and there are many different expressions that are high quality and just as good or better than the green label Weller Special Reserve.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect
Debonair Gentlemen 
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