William Larue Weller Bourbon (Fall 2020)

Nose: Wonderfully complex and inviting. Cherries greet you at the top of the glass, and long, deep breaths close to the whiskey reveal brûléed sugars and caramel. Breaths with an open mouth hint at a minty note that I did not catch until I read other reviews. Palate: Bright and sweet on the tongue initially, reminding me of oranges and peaches. These notes give way to a dark-fruit sweetness and bread notes that make me think of a Fig Newton. Toasted oak spice builds slowly on the palate, reaching its peak at the finish. Finish: Dark, red, dried fruits linger with the oak spice long after the whiskey is gone, punctuated by faint notes of cracked black pepper. My gums, tongue and cheeks all tingle pleasantly, and there is a gentle warming sensation in my throat and chest. Got to taste this, courtesy of @anorakjackson — thanks, my man!

There’s not much ethanol on the nose, which is unusual for something so high-proof. Nose starts off floral before notes of leather and oak take over. Slight minty-ness. That alcohol that eluded the nose? It comes back with a vengeance on the palate. Hot hot hot. Apart from the booze, the palate has strong caramel notes, shocking no one, with some subtler cream notes balancing it out. This finish hugs you and won’t let go. Black pepper, rye spice, and something tart I can’t put my finger on there. Note: this is the first BTAC series I’ve had. I know I’ve ranked them all the same so far, but of course I have preferences between them. Of the three I’ve had: Stagg comes in first place, followed by this one in second, and Handy in third. All in all, three excellent bourbons I would all highly recommend.

The nose is full of spicy and dry oak, soft baking spices like clove and cinnamon, sweet molasses, brown sugar and vanilla. The palate is very dry and oaky with a huge kick of spice that hits every inch of the mouth. As the spices fade, dry oak joins vanilla to leave a very creamy mouthfeel with just the slightest touch of cherry in the corners of the mouth to give it some astringency. The finish is long and hot with spice and oak setting the mouth on fire with oak and the rest of the creamy notes fading nicely. This is a very hard hitting whiskey but for all the right reasons. It’s bold and has all the hallmarks of a wheated bourbon. Wonderful.

Lucky to find a bottle in late 2021. Third time trying this one out after it’s been open for a month. Enjoying neat. Nose - big time flavors here. Vanilla, brown sugar, cherries galore, with some nice heat coming from the high proof and some spiciness maybe some mint coming through. Taste - super rich and syrup filled flavors. Chocolate cherries, minty spice, with a nice pungent oak ending. The finish just lasts forever of bold spices and oak. Overall - Huge flavor bourbon here. Nose is stellar, big flavors on the palate and all surprisingly smooth as butter for such a high proof. This is a stellar bourbon

Nose: Cherry turnovers. Streusel. Toasting wheat bread. Ethanol is very faint. Woody. Taste: Madagascar vanilla bean (sticky vanilla sweetness), Cherries Jubilee, red fruit jam, and caramel complexity on the mid-palate. Spices throughout. Finish: Sweet oak. Vanilla wafers. Cherry turnover. Faintest coffee note when tipped to look for it. Overall deliciously big and complex. A very filling bourbon. Best wheater I have ever had the privilege sipping. I was granted a 2oz sampling of this from a generous member of a whiskey group online. Thank you KM.

Nose- so strong vanilla, caramel, and burnt sugars. Taste- immediately bites the tongue with a hot spice and heat, followed by rich oily caramels, burnt marshmallow and some light rye spice. Finish- I'll tell you tomorrow. Pretty sure I am still getting notes an hour later. The sweetness comes through with some oak and wood barrel, it's the definition of rich and sweet.