The excitement for Weller bourbon has been scorching hot and there is no end in sight. The Weller product line of wheated bourbons from Buffalo Trace is well-aged, sweet, bright fruit notes and has a creamy mouthfeel. The hype all started with the rise in popularity of Pappy Van Winkle. Once Pappy was flying off the shelves and impossible to find, consumers started snatching up Weller bourbon made from the same wheated mashbill.
Personally, I love wheated bourbons as do most bourbon fans. Wheaters are a great introductory bourbon because they have very little “bite”, are normally sweet, fruity and have a rich, creamy mouthfeel. Pappy Van Winkle is considered the pinnacle of wheated bourbons, but the Weller line-up is poor man’s Pappy or the next best thing. These bottles are still extremely hard to find and can be expensive. I want to dive into Weller Full Proof to see if it is worth the hype.
Weller Full Proof (WFP) is the fifth bottle of the Weller lineup and is bottled at 114 proof. WFP joins Weller Special Reserve, Old Weller Antique, Weller 12 Year and Weller CYPB (Single Barrel was introduced after WFP). Bourbon enthusiasts have been increasingly wanting higher proofed bourbon and they got just that the Summer of 2019 when Weller Full Proof was released. Master Distiller Harlan Wheatley crafted WFP as the highest proofed Weller product Buffalo Trace currently offers (outside of William LaRue Weller of the Antique Collection).
What Is MSRP For Weller Full Proof?
Weller Full Proof MSRP is around $50 for a 750mL bottle.
Is Weller Full Proof hard to find?
You will rarely find this bottle in the wild, let alone for MSRP. Buffalo Trace has not raised their prices as much as some of the other major distilleries and that has pros and cons. If you are able to find a Buffalo Trace product for MSRP it’s a great deal and I would buy every time. The low prices do give bottle flippers extra incentive to buy bottles and flip for maximum profits.
Weller Full Proof Silver Dollar Pick
The Silver Dollar is a local restaurant in Louisville, KY. SD is located in a popular spot in town off of Frankfort Ave with delicious food, chill vibes and a bourbon bar to make even the biggest enthusiast salivate! Larry and Susie are the magic palates that led this selection. Larry has been a collector of vintage bourbon well before the bourbon boom and has amassed an incredible collection. Recently Larry has moved on from the Silver Dollar for a new adventure.
As with all my store picks from Buffalo Trace, I email info@buffalotrace.com to get the info sheet. If you send a picture of the medallion and laser code, it might take a few days but the excellent people at Buffalo Trace will provide this information for you! You can also try reading the laser code on the bottle of any Buffalo Trace product to find out the year it was bottled.
I poured this neat in a glencairn and let rest for around 15 minutes. You can buy a set of glencairns like I use to taste bourbon. The glencairn is the preferred drinking glass of most whiskey enthusiasts when drinking their pour neat.
Color – Beautiful dark amber or worn copper. Around what I would expect for a 8 year bourbon at 114 proof.
Aroma – As I approach my glencairn I instantly get strong maraschino cherries and candied caramel. Almost like a Werther’s Original! I get very candied sweet notes. Oak creeps in after the sweetness and intertwines with the cherries, caramel and some light vanilla.
Taste – The palate does not match the nose much at all. I don’t get many sweet notes, mainly oak and alcohol. The alcohol overpowers the many other flavors I was expecting to get based on the aroma. The mouthfeel is slightly creamy but an afterthought.
Finish – The finish is intense with a decent alcohol sting. It is not overpowering but not welcome. The tingle lingers on my tongue. It doesn’t have a young bourbon taste, this barrel just doesn’t seemed to have mellowed out yet.
Rating – 6.5/10
Thoughts – The nose on this pour is outstanding but the taste and finish fall short. I would have let this barrel mature for another year or two before bottling. The alcohol was too much for 114 proof and it drank like 125+ proof bourbon. The more I worked my way through my pour the lower my rating got. Don’t let FOMO on some of these Buffalo Trace and Weller releases get to you. There are alternatives that are just a good and readily available! A great wheated bourbon that is easily found is Maker’s Mark. I remember when I first opened this bottle I loved it. I don’t know if my tastes have evolved/changed or if this bottled didn’t do well opened. When I fresh cracked this (3+ years ago) I would have given this pour an 8-9.
I would recommend trying this at a bar.
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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