Weller Antique 107 Single Barrel

Gone in 60 Seconds. That’s the title of my experience with Weller, any Weller, when it’s available on the FW&GS site. Used to be, FW&GS did an internet only release every third Wednesday of the month with specialty, allocated whiskies at 10 a.m. Sometimes, it would be Blanton’s, sometimes Old Fitzgerald, sometimes Weller, Eagle Rare 10 year, you get the idea. The BT Antique Collection and Pappy were never on these pages. Rather those were on auction, and you never won the auctions. And unless you had the world’s fastest internet connection, you weren’t getting these specialty releases either. Any of these. I’d tried. I’d get a bottle of Weller’s 12 or Blanton’s in my cart, his process, and it would reload telling me that bottle was no longer available. Didn’t matter how quickly I got to the page, if I had my log in credentials already logged. I wasn’t getting these bottles. Then, about six months ago, FW&GS announced that they were no longer doing the release on a schedule. They would post the bottles on a special page whenever they got stock. This didn’t necessarily make it easier to nab these specialty bottles. You still had to be quick on the draw, checking the page frequently, lucky enough to be there when they dropped a new one. And on Wednesday this week, I was just lucky enough to finish a boring task at work, check the Whisky Release page before my next task, and discover that they had 580 bottles of Weller Antique 107 FW&GS Exclusive Barrels for sale. I wasn’t even logged in and figured I had no chance, but I decided to roll the dice, hit “Log in” drop 2 bottles into my cart, since buyers were allocated to 2 and at 49.99, that would put me at 99.98 for free shipping, and hit Checkout and process. Much to my surprise, unlike previous times, the order went through and I got a receipt. I hit refresh on the Whisky Release page and the bottles were sold out. Gone in 60 Seconds. I think every whisky drinker understands what just happened there: it’s the whisky lover’s equivalent of winning the lottery. Getting Weller at SRP is like seeing Bigfoot screwing a unicorn while a UFO hovers above them filming the whole thing. I mean, the good folks at Buffalo Trace know what they’re doing in terms of creating demand, making this stuff seem special. After all, it’s a wheated high proof bourbon bottled at 107. That’s all it is. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is the same thing, generally running 109 to 110 proof, which is readily available and goes for $44.99 around my neck of the woods. Larceny Barrel Proof is also wheated, bottled generally around 120-ish proof, runs for $64.99 (used to be $49.99 just last year) and while it isn’t as readily available as MMCS, we can generally get it. I mean, I bought two bottles of C922 two weeks ago and have other bottles in my collection unopened. But Weller feels like an event because it’s so incredibly hard to come by. Is it that much better than those other two I’ve mentioned? Well, it’s….different. I can’t deny the excitement on winning this mad dash for the bottles doesn’t play into my enjoyment of it tonight. UPS delivered it today, and I’ve finished work for the holidays, so I opened it and poured rather large doses for both myself and my wife. She’s in the kitchen cooking Christmas cookies and listening to Christmas music, and I’m here at the dining room table typing this with that going on in the background. It’s hard not to bump this a few points for circumstances. The nose here is fruity and spiced like a baked apple with caramel drizzled on top. Given the aroma of fresh baked pizzelles is wafting from the kitchen, it’s hard to avoid saying there’s a licorice undertone but there’s not. Doing a whisky tasting right next to the kitchen where food is cooking is never a great idea, but I’ve got the tree in the living room to my left, the fireplace mantle hung with stockings, so I’m not moving somewhere else just to get all this unadulterated. The palate continues nice and spicy. The proof isn’t overwhelming but provides a nice kick of cinnamon and caramel vanilla. Truth be told, the palate is nothing like Larceny, which I had last night, which is much darker with chocolate and cherry notes as well as more oak and a bit of a tobacco edge. This is a much brighter palate and differs so much that, despite them both being wheatears, they’re night and day and don’t be comparison. Might just be the proof, but I suspect the mash bills are different enough to make the conversation a moot point. This is a little closer in spirit to the Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, but even that has a palate that’s generally darker fruits mixed with oak and vanilla with a little caramel coming through. The finish on the Weller really shines. It’s super long and spicy, peppery with a hit of oak coming through at the very end. Overall, this feels like a one-off. Can’t say I’ll buy it again because the opportunity might never present itself. I’d love to taste the Full Proof and Weller 12, but that may never happen. Doesn’t matter. This is an unexpected Christmas gift to myself. If you can get it at SRP, buy it right away, without hesitation, just for the experience. The tasting of it I’m having right now, I can’t separate from the experience I’ve described throughout this review. Got a Bad Religion Christmas song on in the background as I finished this. Not a bad way to end the review. Not a bad way at all. Happy Holidays, my friends. Happy Holidays. Actually, this goes great with Christmas cookies!

Neat. Neck pour. Party Source single barrel but no store pick sticker was put on it. This is faith. Advertised as a single barrel NCF. Came in this cute basket with some barrel stave art I am hanging in my bar. The big question is: it really a single barrel? Wow, off the nose no doubt this is not standard OWA. This has some really nice oak on it! Not as deep as a ORVW but damn it’s not far off on the nose. There is some cotton candy which is a note I get on OWA all the time. Some nice apricot. Gosh maybe more apple but right in that range with a cinnamon sugar reduction. This is just awesome on the nose. Geez this is a killer pour. Maybe the best OWA pick I have personally had. Syrupy thick on the tongue. Lights the tongue up with cherry sweetness. Transitions into a creamy vanilla ice cream covered in cherries and chocolate sauce. It’s ridiculously smooth. I have to test this against ORVW... So yes, the ORVW is a better pour. The extra age, crisp dark flavors and milk chocolate make it a better pour. This OWA single barrel still rocks. The vanilla ice cream is really good. It really lacks the barrel spice I find in base OWA which really raises it up into its own delicious flavor range. Glad I took the plunge on this one.

Calvert Woodley Single Barrel Select purchased at Calvert Woodley DC on 6/13/19 for National Bourbon Day. All Wellers have a very limited allotment in Virginia, so I just thought I was paying a hefty premium to get the regular Antique 107 in DC that I can never find and have never tried; once at home I realized this was a special bottle indeed. I am a big wheated bourbon fan, and have really enjoyed both ends of the Weller spectrum, so anticipation is sky high. Poured neat into a Glencairn at home. Nose has tons of caramel, with oak and vanilla, mild apples, definite heat coming through. Taste is oak and vanilla with spice coming on strong. A dash of water opens it up, letting the sweeter caramel peak through. Overall much more spice and heat punch than I expected. I like this, but my expectations were not met. I wanted to be wowed, and I just am not. This is not the smooth operator I had hoped for. Good, perhaps very good, but not great. 6/13/19

I have a Twin Liquors pick. Nose really the main difference between this and the non-SP. I still get the apples and caramel and classic notes of the OWA but there’s a hint of orange or some other smooth fruit overlaid. My friend calls this bottle the orange dreamsicle bottle. I’m a huge fan of OWA and this is excellent. I use the rating scale below. Distiller uses a scale of 5 and I use a scale of 10, but I’m sure you’re not too drunk to do the math! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I wouldn't consume by choice. 3. Bad - Multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not bad, but many things I'd rather have. 5. Good - Just average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Well above average. 8. Excellent - In a league of its own. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

Neat. Z&Z. Great first impression on the neck pour. Deep and rich flavors. Hit of oak transitions to apples, vanilla and honey. Little baking spice. There is something interesting about this nose. Started out rich and dark initially but it’s so overwhelmingly light and bright now. Way different than expected on the taste too. The SiB is so different. Brown sugar and apples on the tongue. Transitions to the caramels and oak I more associate with Antique. Legs are vanilla and apple again. Dries out the mouth tremendously and quite a bit of alcohol burn lingers and builds on the legs. I was excited about trying a SiB Weller Antique. This experience was good but spiky. I’ll try again once it opens up but this pour is just good, not great.

Two weeks since I’ve had a proper pour —might as well make it count by having a rather hard to come by Weller 107 store pick. I don’t think I’ve had a Weller before, or for that matter maybe even a wheated bourbon. For 107 proof, this is quite smooth and silky. I’m really not the feeling the heat as I should. It’s also sweeter than most bourbons I’ve had; cinnamon roll and oak on the palette, with a long vanillin finish. For $50, this is a no-brainer buy. Thanks to @dubz480 for this generous sample!