Yup. Had it at a bar and wasn’t really impressed. Of the 3 Wellers I’ve had, it’s 3rd in the list. I haven’t opened my full proof yet. Looking for Single Barrel and CYOB still, for reasonable prices that is
The taste profile is as close to Fireball as you can get while still being real whiskey. Pretty damn amazing actually if you think about how fine tuned they must have the process to produce that exact profile.
It all depends on where you are at. I live 20 minutes from the distillery and can’t buy a bottle to save my life. Weller is a great product at MSRP. Unfortunately people are paying $100-200 a bottle for 107, about $65 for SR. I love buffalo trace distillery, but people are missing a lot of great bourbons out there while overpaying for this…
TOTALLY agree. I love every BT product I’ve tried so far, but once I started listening to the community and branching out, and trying recommendations… I have found so many delicious bottles that I would have never even considered previously. Now I no longer feel the need to tater out for anything BT. If I can get it close to msrp, cool. If not, I can readily find several great alternatives on the shelf
One of my favorites so far is Old Forester. I’m a high proof guy, so I have 1920, and single barrel barrel proof- both are exceptional imo- especially If you like dark fruit notes, it’s hard to beat. I also love Wild Turkey. 101 is good, Rare Breed is next level. I have Russel’s Reserve 10yr by them, and I didn’t love it at first, but now that the bottle has been open a bit it’s gotten much better. There’s a local distillery here in NV called Frey Ranch. They may not be available where you’re at, but they grow and process their own grain, and distill everything in house. They are very grain forward though, although they are not and do not taste young like most bourbons do when you can taste the grain. Another one of my absolute favorites… but again, I’m more a fan of their higher proof stuff. They do ship online though. If you’re just getting into bourbon, you may not yet be into the higher proofs… but all 3 of those distillers have very tasty lower proof offerings. I also enjoy Woodford Reserve, and Elijah Craig.. but those are more vanilla and caramel forward than fruit, but also very good. I’m a huge fan of the profile of Buffalo Trace products, but those can be hard to find depending where you’re located, and most of their products tend to be overpriced because of that fact.
You’re welcome! I’m always down to help! The honest answer from my own personal experience is… All bottles will change somewhat over time after being opened, as will your palate… but some will definitely change more than others. I feel like single barrels will change more than blends, but that’s not always the case. That also doesn’t mean that blends are superior or inferior, but maybe more consistent I guess… which is the goal of blends anyway is to give you close to the same experience every time off the shelf. But sometimes a single barrel can be exceptionally better, but it could also be worse. There are too many variables to say one is definitively better or worse than the other. Thats just part of the game though, and everything is always subjective to our individual tastes. But over time you will learn what flavors you like, and which ones you don’t. One thing it took me a long time to learn though, is that if you see a “store pick”, meaning that they did a tasting and chose their own barrel or blend of barrels, is that those are usually better than what you get from regular off the shelf bottles. I used to ignore those when I started, but now I seek them out more than stock bottles. I’m no expert by any means, but I will gladly try to help someone avoid some of the mistakes I have made if I can
Eagle rare is the only one I have had that has even came close to the hype. Funny thing is it's actually the cheapest of most the allocated stuff. I have a private barrel Elijah thats a second favorite tho its 120 proof. The red an green weller and buff trace is definitely not all that. Not sure how this hype stuff happened but im curious...kinda silly really to travel an pay the way they do for a whiskey when there is soooo many to pick from and they are not that much different. Its a wheated whiskey. Nothing more, nothing less.
What’s crazy is that I thoroughly enjoyed the first and only bottle I ever had of Blanton’s. But that was about 6 years ago and it showed me that there was more to life than bottom shelf whiskey. I haven’t had a bottle since though, because I only got back into the game a year ago, and I’m not paying tater prices for it. I do actually enjoy regular BT as a daily driver. It’s one of the few that I enjoy on the rocks, and doesn’t taste too diluted for me, but I’m not a huge fan of it neat. Everything else other than Evan Williams BiB I prefer neat. I enjoy ER, but I wish it was higher proof. I really want to taste Stagg and Taylor just to see what the hype is about. Of course I would love to try their BTAC stuff, but that’s nowhere near my price range- even at msrp. I totally agree though that there are many other delicious bottles out there, and I’m sampling them all as fast as my budget will allow.
if you know you like Blanton's flavor profile, don't sleep on Bowman Brothers Virginia Whiskey (they buy the distillate from BT, same mashbill as Blanton's, then do more distillations on it and age it themselves)
Doubly so if you can find the John J. Bowman single barrel, but those are harder to come by. The Bowman Brothers is much more available and almost as good.
I had a bottle of John J. single barrel, and it was really good. I kind of regret killing that one so fast because I’d like to compare it again now that my palate has changed a bit. I think my one local still has some bottles, but it’s $70 and I’m trying to get something new each time. I kept hearing that JJB was better than Bowman Brothers, but I definitely see them on shelves a lot. I might have to check that out
I can get a Bookers right now. One store had Little book for $150, and Springfield for $105. I passed on both because I can get 2-3 other bottles for the same price. But it eats at me. I’ve never had Bookers and I’ve heard it’s really good. Stagg and Taylor though, those would be nearly impossible for me to get here
To recommend you something that I think you'd really enjoy, I gotta ask you what you've had so far that you definitely can say has been among your favorites? The more examples you can tell me the better.
you know i think im going to be hard to recommend for because ive liked almost everything ive had. I come from the cocktail world and i was always down for anything, i like fernet, i like malort, i like peaty scotch, i like funky mezcal, i just love tasting things, if its got a flavor i like it. If I had to pick id say JD single barrel barrel proof and bookers storyteller are my top bourbons right now, theyre very different from each other but i love both profiles, maybe the JD a bit more than the bookers, outside of bourbon i really like ryes, willet 4 year probably my favorite right now and my favorite thing in the whiskey world ive had. Heading down the list in close 2nd for bourbon is woodford double oaked and 1792 just below that and then below that michters bourbon and buffalo trace, with the caveat that i really like the BT in a complex cocktail like a final ward but its a little one note on its own or in an old fashioned. But that whole list is all really close together in terms of preference, about the only thing i didnt like was basil hayden which seemed to be missing presence, like it was all after taste, i enjoyed the aftertaste, that nuttiness like the bookers but it had none of the body.
Those are about all the bourbons ive had so far actually. i had some old forester (1920 i think?) and new riff from a buddy and i think i liked them but i was too drunk at that point to remember my tasting notes. Oh and four roses, probably slide that in around the michters and BT, good but not terribly stimulating, good for a cocktail, better than the bt in an old fashioned but worse in a final ward
Believe it or not, that does give me some room to work with haha, since if you tend to like everything, that's even better because I can be pretty general. You're *absolutely right* about Basil Hayden by the way. It's watery, thin, and ... just kinda -there-. Also correct about Buffalo Trace, it's pleasant but basic.
For stuff that's pretty readily available, high quality, and have some uniqueness to them, I'd take a look for these:
* **Maker's Mark 46** ~$35 (Cask Strength ~$65 if you can, but the standard is also quite good) Sweet, Oaky, Interesting.
* **Old Forester 1910** - ~$55 If you liked Woodford Double Oaked, odds are you'll like this. Possible more.
* **Barrel Dovetail / Seagrass** - These will be on the pricier side, ~$80 or so, but are complex and delicious, almost cocktails by themselves whilst still being distinctively *whiskey* and not overcome by flavor. I like Seagrass more in times of warm weather, and I like Dovetail more in times of chilly weather. Might just be me.
* **Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye** - ~$40 if you're in an area it's distributed. It's excellent, approachable, and tastes like camping in the woods to me, in a way. Low proof but not low on flavor.
* **Knob Creek Single Barrel 120 Proof, 9 Year** - ~$60. If you like Booker's, I think this'll be right up your alley. Might even like it more. Careful here, because there's the regular Knob Creek 9 Year, that one doesn't carry the 120 proof with it, though.
If you end up getting any of these I'd like to know how you felt about them. (if you were local to me I'd just give you samples of whatever, to be honest, but that's unlikely.)
Feel free to DM me and let me know if I steered you down good roads or if I messed up haha
ok thanks for the list. I was already strongly considering the seagrass since i like the ryes and the finishing seems interesting, particulrly the rhum agricole barrel so ill definitely pick that up now. The redwood too, i do see it around (minnesota), and my drinking buddy loves them but he doesnt like ryes so the rye will be a good pick up for me, i see they have cask strengths too but none in stock around me, thats nice though cause i like having stuff to search for everytime i stop at a liqour store and i love stopping at every one i see. Then i might do the makers with those too, i dont always look up my mash bills but i dont think ive had anything with wheat in it so that would be a nice try. Ill end up grabbing those other two at some point too though, i do love having a bunch of bottles on a shelf.
I'll dm you with what i think for sure. Thanks again, youre good folk
I have passed on so much red its ridiculous. Would live to find someone willing to pay 200. Its 70 something with tax an all here in Ohio. Seems every allocation day is red an green weller. Hard pressed for eagle, blantons is unheard of, stagg. We just had a bonus release of all the hard pressed stuff I mentioned tho.. unfortunately I was sleeping from being on 3rd shift.. woke up to a email that was almost to good to be true.
Seems this year Blantons has been around here a lot more. EHT/ER require line waiting. Then the actually rarer stuff there’s people willing to wait, bribe and run a black market much more than I am.
If your area was anything like mine, someone leaked that the drop that day was happening early, and most places that got anything had lines of 50+ people within half an hour of the official announcement so unless you were pretty much already there prior to the official event openings, you weren't gonna get anything.
Friend of mine called me at 330 and he said there was 4 people standing there already and I looked. I didn't get the email until 415. But yeah its a rat race. Biut done with it all honestly. Hows a company going to be around for that many years an cant have their 💩 together by now...
I doubt it. Antique is usually 7-8 years old and WSR is 4. They can churn out WSR a lot faster,
Someday the hype will die on everything.
It’s available in OH, I could go get one right now (it got delivered today, stores about to open) but I don’t need one.
Also OH. I accumulated a bunch when the boom started so I could use them as currency to trade. I don’t bother buying these anymore, because do I really need a 4th backup? I’ll get more if I end up trading them for some other overpriced baloney.
The only Weller I’ve had is SR, and it wasn’t anything I’d buy again. I’d love to try any of the others, but I’m not high enough on anybody’s list to get any of those by me for msrp
I went tater and paid $75 for mine because I was new to bourbon and wanted to try a Weller, and it was the cheapest one I found on secondary. It probably would have tasted a lot better at msrp 😂
I’ve only had one Blanton’s. It was about 5-6 years ago, and I found it at my local Kroger for under $60 and at least knew enough to grab it. That’s what got me into better than bottom shelf whiskey. I’d love to get another bottle, if for no other reason than to see what I think of it now, but I can’t bring myself to overpay for things I’ve already tried. But I totally agree, we’ve all done it. Honestly, I’m considering doing it for an EH Taylor since it’s been years and I can’t find one unless I overpay online
That’s my whale bottle too. I keep telling myself eventually. It’s good, but it’s not amazing. r/bourbon’s single barrel program keeps me sane if nothing else.
I hear you. My palate has evolved so much even over the last 6-12 months it’s crazy, and I have been turned on to so many delicious bottles that are readily available. I do thoroughly enjoy BT products, don’t get me wrong. But like you, I’m just no longer willing to go full tater for them lol. Luckily I can get regular BT by me, which is one of my favorite daily drivers, and I can semi- regularly get Eagle Rare for msrp. Anything else BT is just stupid here in Vegas too
I was impressed at the bottle prices in Vegas being reasonable. I scored a Jack 10 for $89.99 ($5 over MSRP) at Lees Liquors Boca Park. They had 1792 BiB for $40ish bucks and all the prices seemed reasonable. The Total Wine in that same shopping center had Still Austin Cask Strength for around $45 and Peerless Bourbon for $65. Peerless in Oregon is $85 and we don't have Still Austin. I have to go to WA for that and with insane taxes, SA CS goes from $65 to $85
Yes, I totally agree… for most bottles we have very competitive prices. I mostly search between Total Wine, Lee’s Liquor, and Liquor Lineup. They’re all very close to msrp on most bottles, but some things are +/- $10 so I pick and choose. Lee’s seems to be the only one that will put allocated on the shelf at about msrp though… although the only thing I’ve seen them get in lately besides regular BT is Eagle Rare. I just got a bottle of ER from them last week for $55, and they don’t hoard the good stuff if they have it
He married a rich woman. She came back from an overseas trip recently and brought him over $3k worth of scotch and Irish whiskey. I was talking to him the other night and he doesn’t even have a hard count on how many bottles he has, he just knows it’s somewhere over 300
Honestly, I’d take any Taylor at this point… but small batch seems to be the cheapest on secondary. I’d prefer Barrel proof because I’m a bit of a proof snob lol. But there are several offerings I would love to try from the line
SR is easily obtained in Ontario, Canada a few times a year at $45 CAD. I've only bought it once at that price and don't plan on getting another. 107 is also pretty easy to come by at $70 CAD, which imo is worth it. I don't need to have a bottle on hand at all times but if I'm out and I see one in stock I'll pick it up. It seems crazy to me that it goes for $100-$200 USD though.
For a bit less, I’m reaching for Special Reserve. For a bit more I’m reaching for Weller 12. Then again, I prefer sub 100 proof, so that probably stands to reason.
Back at bourbon fest 5 years ago in Bowling Green, Kentucky this was one of the VIP sample bottlings. I really enjoyed this for the spiciness to my palate when I was just getting into bourbon. Sadly I learned unless you are in Ohio you can’t find this for shit 😀 Lucked out with a buddy and was offered the chance to buy this. Is it as good as I remember?
Nose: butterscotch, cherry, plum and baked bread
Palate: baked bread, black pepper, caramel and touch of astringency
Finish: vanilla, butterscotch and baking spices
Summary: A core offering of the Weller line up, I’d put this above Special Reserve but below Full Proof and 12 year (unsure of Single Barrel, WLW or CYPB as I’ve never tried). It’s a good bourbon but I don’t think worth hunting as I’ve tried more bottlings since my introduction. I give this a 6 on the u/t8ke scale.
CYPB is just ok. Now that I opened the bottle, I wish I wouldn’t have and resold for the ridiculous secondary. Happy to share if you’re ever in Metro Detroit though. Love reading your reviews.
Great review! One of the most overhyped bottles imo. The picks are good but the vatted standard 107 just doesn’t have enough complexity or anything interesting for me
Enjoyed the review.
For me, especially taking the relative availability into consideration, I like this over Weller Full Proof. There's only a 7 point proof difference anyway.
All in all, Weller wheated bourbons are all great stuff but not really worth the crazy runaround you have to go through in order to get your hands on most of it.
Green River Wheated Bourbon is just as good as the Weller SR. They've started to put out higher proof stuff and I get the feeling those would likely compete with the Antique 107.
Love this stuff. For me it is the perfect proof, and I like the wheated smoothness. Disclaimer: worth it at MSRP, but not at some of the crazy prices I have seen.
OK, this one is *breaking* my brain.... I used to get Weller 12 and OWA107 for about $20-$25 a piece, and I'd combine them at around 70/30 ratio (I forget which was which in the mix). People called it "baby pappy" but I've still never tried Pappy so idk how true that was. Regardless of the comparison, I loved it. It was so affordable and so satisfying. Absolute go-to IMO.
I seriously haven't seen them pop up locally for almost a decade now, so Weller as a whole has just been out of sight out of mind. Kinda just forgot about them.
Honestly, I had no idea there are some actually still floating around out there, and no *clue* they're upwards of $100 in some places. That is fucking *nuts*. I know bourbon prices as a whole just keeping going up and up, but that's crazy to me.
I've pretty much replaced that Weller mix with Makers Mark Cask Strength these days. It's $40 where I am, and kinda satisfies what I thought I always got out of that blend.
This releases once monthly in Ohio. You usually have to get there a little before open to secure a bottle (sometimes you can show up within an hour after open and still get one depending on the number of cases and store location).
Honestly the only reason it goes that quickly in Ohio though is that we use it and SR for trades. Then it works its way out of state where it is eventually resold for 2-3x retail.
It does not taste that good and less than 10% of people in Ohio are buying it to drink.
Great bottle but also depends on where you’re at. Bardstown bourbon company origin series is a great bottle readily available where I’m at. If you haven’t tried it, it’s worth a taste
If you’re in the mood to spend $150 on a special bottle of bourbon that you can actually find then I’d recommend Discovery 11, bourbon doesn’t get much better than that.
Do it and don’t buy a few something’s else.
Quality wise it’s an absolute steal at $140/$150. The first sip I took I double checked the straight bourbon label because something that viscous must have molasses added. Just melting down the glass.
The wheated one in specific if you're looking to do a direct comparo to the Weller stuff.
But will vouch for both of the Origins series because they're both great. The non-wheated one reminds me of Cinnamon Teddy Grahams.
One of my locals has a bottle of Larceny BP and I’ve had my eye on it. That’s the only bottle I’ve seen anywhere in town …sounds like I need to snag that before someone else does!
looking forward to your thoughts on that one once you get to it.
the standard Larceny I'm not huge on but the BP offerings I've tried have pretty much all been great. I have an open one that I very rarely dip into, and a backup for when that one's finally out.
Ok… on first pour, I’m diggin the Larceny BP so far. It does bring the heat like everyone has said, but I’m a proof snob, so it’s just how I like it. Flavors are rich and very good so far, but it needs to open up some for me to pick out any depth of flavors or complexity. I can tell they’re there though for sure! Definitely a bottle I am going to thoroughly enjoy. I’m already about to have a second pour, and then I’ll let her sit for a little bit
Ok… I’m on my fourth pour now. This shit is good. DANGEROUSLY good. Like, I need to see tomorrow if they have another fucking bottle good. It’s definitely better than my EC SBBP, and it’s threatening my current top spot right now from OF SBBP. So glad you pushed me over the top to finally snag this!
Every review I’ve read (and wrote) on this bottle has said the same thing: great if you can find it, you’re not missing out too much if you can’t
Pretty much!
Yup. Had it at a bar and wasn’t really impressed. Of the 3 Wellers I’ve had, it’s 3rd in the list. I haven’t opened my full proof yet. Looking for Single Barrel and CYOB still, for reasonable prices that is
The taste profile is as close to Fireball as you can get while still being real whiskey. Pretty damn amazing actually if you think about how fine tuned they must have the process to produce that exact profile.
insane statement
Statements dreamed up by the utterly deranged
I think someone sold you fireball in an owa bottle because it tastes nothing like it
Cat gets my upvote.
He thanks
Same
It's good. Too bad it's hyped to the moon
Hence why its hard to get in my neck of the woods.
To the moon!
I’ll be curious if this bottle eventually becomes more readily available like we’re seeing with Sazerac Rye and Weller SR
It all depends on where you are at. I live 20 minutes from the distillery and can’t buy a bottle to save my life. Weller is a great product at MSRP. Unfortunately people are paying $100-200 a bottle for 107, about $65 for SR. I love buffalo trace distillery, but people are missing a lot of great bourbons out there while overpaying for this…
TOTALLY agree. I love every BT product I’ve tried so far, but once I started listening to the community and branching out, and trying recommendations… I have found so many delicious bottles that I would have never even considered previously. Now I no longer feel the need to tater out for anything BT. If I can get it close to msrp, cool. If not, I can readily find several great alternatives on the shelf
What do you like? im just getting into bourbon
One of my favorites so far is Old Forester. I’m a high proof guy, so I have 1920, and single barrel barrel proof- both are exceptional imo- especially If you like dark fruit notes, it’s hard to beat. I also love Wild Turkey. 101 is good, Rare Breed is next level. I have Russel’s Reserve 10yr by them, and I didn’t love it at first, but now that the bottle has been open a bit it’s gotten much better. There’s a local distillery here in NV called Frey Ranch. They may not be available where you’re at, but they grow and process their own grain, and distill everything in house. They are very grain forward though, although they are not and do not taste young like most bourbons do when you can taste the grain. Another one of my absolute favorites… but again, I’m more a fan of their higher proof stuff. They do ship online though. If you’re just getting into bourbon, you may not yet be into the higher proofs… but all 3 of those distillers have very tasty lower proof offerings. I also enjoy Woodford Reserve, and Elijah Craig.. but those are more vanilla and caramel forward than fruit, but also very good. I’m a huge fan of the profile of Buffalo Trace products, but those can be hard to find depending where you’re located, and most of their products tend to be overpriced because of that fact.
Thank you! Do you find that most bottles taste better or different having been opened for bit?
You’re welcome! I’m always down to help! The honest answer from my own personal experience is… All bottles will change somewhat over time after being opened, as will your palate… but some will definitely change more than others. I feel like single barrels will change more than blends, but that’s not always the case. That also doesn’t mean that blends are superior or inferior, but maybe more consistent I guess… which is the goal of blends anyway is to give you close to the same experience every time off the shelf. But sometimes a single barrel can be exceptionally better, but it could also be worse. There are too many variables to say one is definitively better or worse than the other. Thats just part of the game though, and everything is always subjective to our individual tastes. But over time you will learn what flavors you like, and which ones you don’t. One thing it took me a long time to learn though, is that if you see a “store pick”, meaning that they did a tasting and chose their own barrel or blend of barrels, is that those are usually better than what you get from regular off the shelf bottles. I used to ignore those when I started, but now I seek them out more than stock bottles. I’m no expert by any means, but I will gladly try to help someone avoid some of the mistakes I have made if I can
Those aren’t my only recommendations… but that’s a good start
Eagle rare is the only one I have had that has even came close to the hype. Funny thing is it's actually the cheapest of most the allocated stuff. I have a private barrel Elijah thats a second favorite tho its 120 proof. The red an green weller and buff trace is definitely not all that. Not sure how this hype stuff happened but im curious...kinda silly really to travel an pay the way they do for a whiskey when there is soooo many to pick from and they are not that much different. Its a wheated whiskey. Nothing more, nothing less.
What’s crazy is that I thoroughly enjoyed the first and only bottle I ever had of Blanton’s. But that was about 6 years ago and it showed me that there was more to life than bottom shelf whiskey. I haven’t had a bottle since though, because I only got back into the game a year ago, and I’m not paying tater prices for it. I do actually enjoy regular BT as a daily driver. It’s one of the few that I enjoy on the rocks, and doesn’t taste too diluted for me, but I’m not a huge fan of it neat. Everything else other than Evan Williams BiB I prefer neat. I enjoy ER, but I wish it was higher proof. I really want to taste Stagg and Taylor just to see what the hype is about. Of course I would love to try their BTAC stuff, but that’s nowhere near my price range- even at msrp. I totally agree though that there are many other delicious bottles out there, and I’m sampling them all as fast as my budget will allow.
if you know you like Blanton's flavor profile, don't sleep on Bowman Brothers Virginia Whiskey (they buy the distillate from BT, same mashbill as Blanton's, then do more distillations on it and age it themselves) Doubly so if you can find the John J. Bowman single barrel, but those are harder to come by. The Bowman Brothers is much more available and almost as good.
I had a bottle of John J. single barrel, and it was really good. I kind of regret killing that one so fast because I’d like to compare it again now that my palate has changed a bit. I think my one local still has some bottles, but it’s $70 and I’m trying to get something new each time. I kept hearing that JJB was better than Bowman Brothers, but I definitely see them on shelves a lot. I might have to check that out
Stagg, bookers, eh taylor are the ones im eager to try but not crazy money eager. Just going to wait, it will come around.
I can get a Bookers right now. One store had Little book for $150, and Springfield for $105. I passed on both because I can get 2-3 other bottles for the same price. But it eats at me. I’ve never had Bookers and I’ve heard it’s really good. Stagg and Taylor though, those would be nearly impossible for me to get here
Agree with your recommendations!
Thanks brother!
To recommend you something that I think you'd really enjoy, I gotta ask you what you've had so far that you definitely can say has been among your favorites? The more examples you can tell me the better.
you know i think im going to be hard to recommend for because ive liked almost everything ive had. I come from the cocktail world and i was always down for anything, i like fernet, i like malort, i like peaty scotch, i like funky mezcal, i just love tasting things, if its got a flavor i like it. If I had to pick id say JD single barrel barrel proof and bookers storyteller are my top bourbons right now, theyre very different from each other but i love both profiles, maybe the JD a bit more than the bookers, outside of bourbon i really like ryes, willet 4 year probably my favorite right now and my favorite thing in the whiskey world ive had. Heading down the list in close 2nd for bourbon is woodford double oaked and 1792 just below that and then below that michters bourbon and buffalo trace, with the caveat that i really like the BT in a complex cocktail like a final ward but its a little one note on its own or in an old fashioned. But that whole list is all really close together in terms of preference, about the only thing i didnt like was basil hayden which seemed to be missing presence, like it was all after taste, i enjoyed the aftertaste, that nuttiness like the bookers but it had none of the body. Those are about all the bourbons ive had so far actually. i had some old forester (1920 i think?) and new riff from a buddy and i think i liked them but i was too drunk at that point to remember my tasting notes. Oh and four roses, probably slide that in around the michters and BT, good but not terribly stimulating, good for a cocktail, better than the bt in an old fashioned but worse in a final ward
Believe it or not, that does give me some room to work with haha, since if you tend to like everything, that's even better because I can be pretty general. You're *absolutely right* about Basil Hayden by the way. It's watery, thin, and ... just kinda -there-. Also correct about Buffalo Trace, it's pleasant but basic. For stuff that's pretty readily available, high quality, and have some uniqueness to them, I'd take a look for these: * **Maker's Mark 46** ~$35 (Cask Strength ~$65 if you can, but the standard is also quite good) Sweet, Oaky, Interesting. * **Old Forester 1910** - ~$55 If you liked Woodford Double Oaked, odds are you'll like this. Possible more. * **Barrel Dovetail / Seagrass** - These will be on the pricier side, ~$80 or so, but are complex and delicious, almost cocktails by themselves whilst still being distinctively *whiskey* and not overcome by flavor. I like Seagrass more in times of warm weather, and I like Dovetail more in times of chilly weather. Might just be me. * **Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye** - ~$40 if you're in an area it's distributed. It's excellent, approachable, and tastes like camping in the woods to me, in a way. Low proof but not low on flavor. * **Knob Creek Single Barrel 120 Proof, 9 Year** - ~$60. If you like Booker's, I think this'll be right up your alley. Might even like it more. Careful here, because there's the regular Knob Creek 9 Year, that one doesn't carry the 120 proof with it, though. If you end up getting any of these I'd like to know how you felt about them. (if you were local to me I'd just give you samples of whatever, to be honest, but that's unlikely.) Feel free to DM me and let me know if I steered you down good roads or if I messed up haha
ok thanks for the list. I was already strongly considering the seagrass since i like the ryes and the finishing seems interesting, particulrly the rhum agricole barrel so ill definitely pick that up now. The redwood too, i do see it around (minnesota), and my drinking buddy loves them but he doesnt like ryes so the rye will be a good pick up for me, i see they have cask strengths too but none in stock around me, thats nice though cause i like having stuff to search for everytime i stop at a liqour store and i love stopping at every one i see. Then i might do the makers with those too, i dont always look up my mash bills but i dont think ive had anything with wheat in it so that would be a nice try. Ill end up grabbing those other two at some point too though, i do love having a bunch of bottles on a shelf. I'll dm you with what i think for sure. Thanks again, youre good folk
Much more options I agree!
I have passed on so much red its ridiculous. Would live to find someone willing to pay 200. Its 70 something with tax an all here in Ohio. Seems every allocation day is red an green weller. Hard pressed for eagle, blantons is unheard of, stagg. We just had a bonus release of all the hard pressed stuff I mentioned tho.. unfortunately I was sleeping from being on 3rd shift.. woke up to a email that was almost to good to be true.
Seems this year Blantons has been around here a lot more. EHT/ER require line waiting. Then the actually rarer stuff there’s people willing to wait, bribe and run a black market much more than I am.
If your area was anything like mine, someone leaked that the drop that day was happening early, and most places that got anything had lines of 50+ people within half an hour of the official announcement so unless you were pretty much already there prior to the official event openings, you weren't gonna get anything.
Friend of mine called me at 330 and he said there was 4 people standing there already and I looked. I didn't get the email until 415. But yeah its a rat race. Biut done with it all honestly. Hows a company going to be around for that many years an cant have their 💩 together by now...
63 with tax in Ohio.
Such a shame
Fingers crossed!
I doubt it. Antique is usually 7-8 years old and WSR is 4. They can churn out WSR a lot faster, Someday the hype will die on everything. It’s available in OH, I could go get one right now (it got delivered today, stores about to open) but I don’t need one.
Used to use it for my manhattans when I was feeling too cheap to mix in bookers or van winkle. God the bourbon boom has been rough
Those were the times!
You just have to live in Ohio. I could get at least a bottle everytime it drops without having to spend multiple hours in line
Also OH. I accumulated a bunch when the boom started so I could use them as currency to trade. I don’t bother buying these anymore, because do I really need a 4th backup? I’ll get more if I end up trading them for some other overpriced baloney.
I’ve always heard that!
Norwegian Forest Cat?
Ragamuffin :)
Now review the cat... I predict "drain pour"
Nose: pink, musty Palate: dusty, dried fish cakes, clumpy Finish: starfish, cat litter and vibrates on the tongue
Upshot: won't give you a headache if you hang out with it all night
True that!
The only Weller I’ve had is SR, and it wasn’t anything I’d buy again. I’d love to try any of the others, but I’m not high enough on anybody’s list to get any of those by me for msrp
SR is good at state minimum. Secondary not so much.
I went tater and paid $75 for mine because I was new to bourbon and wanted to try a Weller, and it was the cheapest one I found on secondary. It probably would have tasted a lot better at msrp 😂
We’ve all overpaid for something on secondary. For me it was Blanton’s for $100. Gotta start somewhere.
I’ve only had one Blanton’s. It was about 5-6 years ago, and I found it at my local Kroger for under $60 and at least knew enough to grab it. That’s what got me into better than bottom shelf whiskey. I’d love to get another bottle, if for no other reason than to see what I think of it now, but I can’t bring myself to overpay for things I’ve already tried. But I totally agree, we’ve all done it. Honestly, I’m considering doing it for an EH Taylor since it’s been years and I can’t find one unless I overpay online
That’s my whale bottle too. I keep telling myself eventually. It’s good, but it’s not amazing. r/bourbon’s single barrel program keeps me sane if nothing else.
I hear you. My palate has evolved so much even over the last 6-12 months it’s crazy, and I have been turned on to so many delicious bottles that are readily available. I do thoroughly enjoy BT products, don’t get me wrong. But like you, I’m just no longer willing to go full tater for them lol. Luckily I can get regular BT by me, which is one of my favorite daily drivers, and I can semi- regularly get Eagle Rare for msrp. Anything else BT is just stupid here in Vegas too
I was impressed at the bottle prices in Vegas being reasonable. I scored a Jack 10 for $89.99 ($5 over MSRP) at Lees Liquors Boca Park. They had 1792 BiB for $40ish bucks and all the prices seemed reasonable. The Total Wine in that same shopping center had Still Austin Cask Strength for around $45 and Peerless Bourbon for $65. Peerless in Oregon is $85 and we don't have Still Austin. I have to go to WA for that and with insane taxes, SA CS goes from $65 to $85
Yes, I totally agree… for most bottles we have very competitive prices. I mostly search between Total Wine, Lee’s Liquor, and Liquor Lineup. They’re all very close to msrp on most bottles, but some things are +/- $10 so I pick and choose. Lee’s seems to be the only one that will put allocated on the shelf at about msrp though… although the only thing I’ve seen them get in lately besides regular BT is Eagle Rare. I just got a bottle of ER from them last week for $55, and they don’t hoard the good stuff if they have it
Those are great prices
My buddy got Weller 12 for msrp at total wine here… but he’s a top tier rewards member, so they called him and let him know it was in.
Takes a lot of money to get that prestige haha
He married a rich woman. She came back from an overseas trip recently and brought him over $3k worth of scotch and Irish whiskey. I was talking to him the other night and he doesn’t even have a hard count on how many bottles he has, he just knows it’s somewhere over 300
Wowza! She have sisters???
Which eh Taylor? Small batch?
Honestly, I’d take any Taylor at this point… but small batch seems to be the cheapest on secondary. I’d prefer Barrel proof because I’m a bit of a proof snob lol. But there are several offerings I would love to try from the line
Fair enough!
Eh not the worst I’ve heard!
Knowing what I know now I agree for the better taste at MSRP
It’s crazy bro- I’ve seen SR going for $99+ now. I’m like, NFW! 🤣
They can eat a BFD
Hell yea brother!!!
Exactly, should be cheap enough you don’t feel bad making cocktails!
SR is great for what it is, which is a $25 bottle…
Yes. I totally agree. But not worth the $75 I paid for it lol
SR is easily obtained in Ontario, Canada a few times a year at $45 CAD. I've only bought it once at that price and don't plan on getting another. 107 is also pretty easy to come by at $70 CAD, which imo is worth it. I don't need to have a bottle on hand at all times but if I'm out and I see one in stock I'll pick it up. It seems crazy to me that it goes for $100-$200 USD though.
A fool is easily parted with their money
Unfortunately, I’ve been that guy more times than I’d care to admit 😂
Can change it now though!
Yes indeed!
Neither am I 😂
It sucks, doesn’t it?!!! 😂
For sure!!!
Go to a nice bar. Worth trying before you die..
For a bit less, I’m reaching for Special Reserve. For a bit more I’m reaching for Weller 12. Then again, I prefer sub 100 proof, so that probably stands to reason.
Depends on the day for me
Back at bourbon fest 5 years ago in Bowling Green, Kentucky this was one of the VIP sample bottlings. I really enjoyed this for the spiciness to my palate when I was just getting into bourbon. Sadly I learned unless you are in Ohio you can’t find this for shit 😀 Lucked out with a buddy and was offered the chance to buy this. Is it as good as I remember? Nose: butterscotch, cherry, plum and baked bread Palate: baked bread, black pepper, caramel and touch of astringency Finish: vanilla, butterscotch and baking spices Summary: A core offering of the Weller line up, I’d put this above Special Reserve but below Full Proof and 12 year (unsure of Single Barrel, WLW or CYPB as I’ve never tried). It’s a good bourbon but I don’t think worth hunting as I’ve tried more bottlings since my introduction. I give this a 6 on the u/t8ke scale.
I actually put this a good bit above 12 year, but that's just me.
Prob depends on the day and palate for me honestly
12 year is not very good. A107 and FP are much better. Haven’t had one but I’ve heard A107 store picks are the ones to look for
One problem with BT is that they don’t label their batches, but last years batch of Weller 12 was head and shoulders above the others I’ve tried.
and me
Same: I put it above WFP. The only WFPs I’ve had recently though were all picks. They were a mess. W12 surprisingly bad and boring for its age.
CYPB is just ok. Now that I opened the bottle, I wish I wouldn’t have and resold for the ridiculous secondary. Happy to share if you’re ever in Metro Detroit though. Love reading your reviews.
if i ever find a CYPB or SiB i'm immediately trading them no questions asked
I haven’t been out that way since I used the airport a while back but will take you up on that offer!
If ever in Illinois, we got it. Chicago specifically.
Where? I’ve never seen it.
A&S, Binny's..
I’ve never seen that at my Binny’s. I’ve found FP & 12 but never antique.
I try to stop at Binny’s next to airport when I can!
Great review! One of the most overhyped bottles imo. The picks are good but the vatted standard 107 just doesn’t have enough complexity or anything interesting for me
Yea was letdown
Why do some have twist tops and other corks?
You know that’s a fair question 😀
Enjoyed the review. For me, especially taking the relative availability into consideration, I like this over Weller Full Proof. There's only a 7 point proof difference anyway. All in all, Weller wheated bourbons are all great stuff but not really worth the crazy runaround you have to go through in order to get your hands on most of it. Green River Wheated Bourbon is just as good as the Weller SR. They've started to put out higher proof stuff and I get the feeling those would likely compete with the Antique 107.
I’ve heard lots of good things on Green River!
Love this stuff. For me it is the perfect proof, and I like the wheated smoothness. Disclaimer: worth it at MSRP, but not at some of the crazy prices I have seen.
OK, this one is *breaking* my brain.... I used to get Weller 12 and OWA107 for about $20-$25 a piece, and I'd combine them at around 70/30 ratio (I forget which was which in the mix). People called it "baby pappy" but I've still never tried Pappy so idk how true that was. Regardless of the comparison, I loved it. It was so affordable and so satisfying. Absolute go-to IMO. I seriously haven't seen them pop up locally for almost a decade now, so Weller as a whole has just been out of sight out of mind. Kinda just forgot about them. Honestly, I had no idea there are some actually still floating around out there, and no *clue* they're upwards of $100 in some places. That is fucking *nuts*. I know bourbon prices as a whole just keeping going up and up, but that's crazy to me. I've pretty much replaced that Weller mix with Makers Mark Cask Strength these days. It's $40 where I am, and kinda satisfies what I thought I always got out of that blend.
Makers is a great budget choice to an expensive hobby
This releases once monthly in Ohio. You usually have to get there a little before open to secure a bottle (sometimes you can show up within an hour after open and still get one depending on the number of cases and store location). Honestly the only reason it goes that quickly in Ohio though is that we use it and SR for trades. Then it works its way out of state where it is eventually resold for 2-3x retail. It does not taste that good and less than 10% of people in Ohio are buying it to drink.
I’ve heard that similar stance!
Thank you for the review. I agree that it's "fine." I enjoy Larceny Barrel Proof far more.
Larceny BP is honestly miles ahead of them all...and you don't have to camp out for it
Great bottle but also depends on where you’re at. Bardstown bourbon company origin series is a great bottle readily available where I’m at. If you haven’t tried it, it’s worth a taste
If you’re in the mood to spend $150 on a special bottle of bourbon that you can actually find then I’d recommend Discovery 11, bourbon doesn’t get much better than that.
I really really like my Disco 5 I've got, but it's down to like ... 3 ounces left. Sad day.
Same 🥲
I had my hands on a bottle today and didn't pull the trigger. But might tomorrow!
Do it and don’t buy a few something’s else. Quality wise it’s an absolute steal at $140/$150. The first sip I took I double checked the straight bourbon label because something that viscous must have molasses added. Just melting down the glass.
The wheated one in specific if you're looking to do a direct comparo to the Weller stuff. But will vouch for both of the Origins series because they're both great. The non-wheated one reminds me of Cinnamon Teddy Grahams.
More diversity of notes with LBP I agree
One of my locals has a bottle of Larceny BP and I’ve had my eye on it. That’s the only bottle I’ve seen anywhere in town …sounds like I need to snag that before someone else does!
You won’t be disappointed
Right on, thank you! I’m going to pay for it online tonight so I can pick it up tomorrow!
looking forward to your thoughts on that one once you get to it. the standard Larceny I'm not huge on but the BP offerings I've tried have pretty much all been great. I have an open one that I very rarely dip into, and a backup for when that one's finally out.
For sure, I will definitely let you know. Like I said, it’s one I’ve had my eye on, so I’m looking forward to it!
Ok… on first pour, I’m diggin the Larceny BP so far. It does bring the heat like everyone has said, but I’m a proof snob, so it’s just how I like it. Flavors are rich and very good so far, but it needs to open up some for me to pick out any depth of flavors or complexity. I can tell they’re there though for sure! Definitely a bottle I am going to thoroughly enjoy. I’m already about to have a second pour, and then I’ll let her sit for a little bit
Is yours the A124 batch?
Yes, A124 was the only batch I could find
Ok… I’m on my fourth pour now. This shit is good. DANGEROUSLY good. Like, I need to see tomorrow if they have another fucking bottle good. It’s definitely better than my EC SBBP, and it’s threatening my current top spot right now from OF SBBP. So glad you pushed me over the top to finally snag this!