Weller CYPB

I still have this, my only bottle of Weller CYPB. And it's a quarter-bottle at this point. Let the record state that I'm a big Weller fan. I'd like to think I was on the bandwagon before the train left the station (or at least I was running along the platform and jumped onboard before it gained too much speed). I have not tasted my bottle of CYPB in over two years (my last review was 9/3/23). I've written a couple of wine reviews already this evening, and wanted some bourbon with a couple oatmeal cookies, and this was staring me in the face in one of my liquor cabinets. (I've given up on "special occasion" wines and whiskies for the most part--YOLO and all that). "Create Your Perfect Bourbon"--in today's society (in the US, at least), it doesn't seem how this is possible. One side would've picked Old Crow and the other Pappy. (I won't divulge which party is in the Old Crow camp). But in this case, price aside, the crowd-sourced version has won. This is excellent bourbon; I've rated it a full point higher than my last review (I have no idea how I gave this a 3.25). What the cohort of the "yous" in "Your" have done here is split the uprights--from 63 yards (no offense to Tom Dempsey). This is great bourbon. Wheated bourbon, to be more precise. And the homogeneity of the cohort creates a bourbon that has lots of wheated-bourbon typicity, but not a lot of distinguishing aberrations. It is the color of bourbon. It has caramel apple. Chocolate covered cherries. A touch of cool mint. A nice Kentucky hug (95 proof). A little espresso bite on the finish. All as expected. But all, like the children of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon, above average. Very much so. This is very good bourbon. This is also very expensive bourbon. And per my last review two years ago, best enjoyed at your friend's house--if he's a nice friend. The ultimate rating: would I buy it again? No. Unless I won the lottery. Or didn't want to buy more wine. Or a boat. Or do some more mods on my car. Like my ex-wife used to say: "you're just going to piss it all out anyway." Fact. But YOLO. N.B. This one wasn't tasted in a Glencairn glass per my usual practice, but in a chunky hand-blown rocks glass. Not to worry: I won't shill for the producer.

Weller C.Y.P.B. ("Craft Your Perfect Bourbon") was a "crowd-sourcing" experiment done by Buffalo Trace a few years ago. They asked consumers to pick their favorite mashbill, age, rickhouse floor, and proof. CYPB is cheated; matures on the highest floors; is eight years old, and is bottled at 90 proof. I haven't had this bourbon in some time; my last review was June 20, 2022. I tried it with friends a couple nights ago, and thought it was significantly better than I'd recalled--but I wasn't taking notes. I reminded myself to try it again in a couple days. Clear caramel color. Fruity 1970s ambrosia nose: tangerine wedges, maraschino cherries, and mini marshmallows, in addition to vanilla, spice cake and cool mint. Some toffee and espresso on the palate, along with the ethanol, with some caramel, vanilla, and char on the finish. Perhaps the "significantly better" perception from the other night was after a couple of pours beforehand. It is still better than I'd recalled, but not exceptional--and certainly no value, considering the price (~$700 on the secondary market). It's something that all bourbon aficionados need to try--but try it at your friend's house. 3.75 on the Distiller scale (value not considered). N.B. Tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

I finally got around to reviewing this. I wanted to make sure to get through at least half the bottle before doing so. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this one. Probably my favorite of the Weller variants thus far. The aroma starts off with lots of baking spice. Getting more whiffs in I got additional characters consisting of brown sugar, dried fruit, sweet tobacco, and caramel. I was delighted to find that some of these also made up the tasting notes within. Particularly, the baking spice and tobacco. In addition, notes of vanilla, earth, oak, and leather emerged. The finish was nice and long with a slight dryness to it. Smooth overall with little heat. I'm sad to know that the bottle is almost at its end. I would love to have a constant bottle of this in my cabinet, but secondary pricing doesn't make it possible. Alas, I can revel in my enjoyment of my first bottle. Perhaps one day the prices will come down and acquiring another will become reality.

Does Weller CYPB change up depending on year of release? I've read some reviews of CYPB and really didn't seem to taste a big majority of the tasting notes that I've read about. Anyway, here's my review of CYPB as tasted from a Glencairn in 2023 at a restaurant, neat pour. The nose is all sweet and a delightful preview of things to come in the taste. Butterscotch and chocolate with a little hint of coconut and fresh pears open up your senses. What a sweet start to the taste! Honey, butterscotch and caramel open up to a very slight syrupy sweet hint of canned peach. You definitely get some Weller 12 mid taste and that is not a bad thing in the least bit. The finish gets a bit drier and spicier with some baking spices. Tannic oak kisses the tongue slightly for a well balanced and long lasting finish. Wow! I can see why CYPB is in such high demand and low supply. By far and away one of the tastiest selections I've had yet.

Weller, that super fancy brand from Buffalo trace, has this elusive and very sought bottle, called C.Y.P.B., which are the initials for "Craft Your Perfect Bourbon". It really got its name from a marketing campaign where customers were prompted to go online at www.yourperfectbourbon.com and pick their ideal bourbon recipe, proof, warehouse location and age. It comes at 95%proof (47.5 abv), and it is what is called "a Wheated Bourbon". On the nose, it starts with fancy red fruits, Tobacco. Smells beautiful. Everything is all about cherries, lemon and a nice spiciness. On the palate, i get fancy red fruits, powerfully spicy. Rye spices. Aftertaste has scorching tongue spices, red fruits and syrup. Overall, this one is very elegant and rewarding. A very well crafted dram, with some interesting mixture of spices and red fruits. My score for it is a solid 92 over 100.

Received a sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: In addition to the usual vanilla and caramel, there's a stong note that most resembles root beer. Palate: Root beer continues, with cinnamon and baking spices. Finish: Medium length with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 7/10 - The root beer note is interesting, but not enough to really elevate this bourbon above its contemporaries. If offered a bottle at MSRP I'd probably pick it up, but this isn't worth chasing or paying secondary for.