Weller Antique 107 Single Barrel

It vanishes in 60 seconds. That’s the title of my experience with Weller, any Weller, when it’s available on the state liquor site. Previously, the state liquor agency did an internet-only release every third Wednesday of the month with specialty, allocated spirits 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, the 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 login credentials already logged. I wasn’t getting these bottles. Then, about six months ago, the state liquor agency 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 Spirit Release page before my next task, and discover that they had 580 bottles of Weller Antique 107 State Liquor 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 Spirit Release page and the bottles were sold out. Gone in 60 seconds. I think every spirit drinker understands what just happened there: it’s the spirit lover’s equivalent of winning the lottery. Getting Weller at MSRP 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 neighborhood. 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 spirit 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 wheaters, 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 MSRP, 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. First pour from the bottle. Party Source single barrel, although it lacked a store pick label. This is a leap of faith. Advertised as a single barrel, Non-Chill Filtered. It arrived in a charming basket with some barrel stave art I'm displaying in my bar. The main question is: is it truly a single barrel? Wow, the aroma leaves no doubt this isn't the standard Old Weller Antique. It has some really nice oak on it! Not as profound as Old Rip Van Winkle, but surprisingly close on the nose. There's a cotton candy note, which I often detect in Old Weller Antique. Some pleasant apricot. Perhaps more apple, but in that general range with a cinnamon sugar reduction. The aroma is simply fantastic. Geez, this is an outstanding pour. Possibly the best Old Weller Antique pick I've personally encountered. It has a syrupy thickness on the tongue. It lights up the tongue with cherry sweetness. It then transforms into creamy vanilla ice cream topped with cherries and chocolate sauce. It's remarkably smooth. I need to compare this against Old Rip Van Winkle... So yes, the Old Rip Van Winkle is a superior pour. Its extra age, crisp dark flavors, and milk chocolate make it better. This Old Weller Antique single barrel still impresses. The vanilla ice cream note is really good. It notably lacks the barrel spice found in the standard Old Weller Antique, which elevates it to its own delicious flavor profile. I'm glad I decided to get this one.

Calvert Woodley Single Barrel Select, acquired at Calvert Woodley DC on 6/13/19 for National Bourbon Day. As Virginia has very limited allocations of all Wellers, I believed I was merely paying a significant markup for regular Antique 107 in DC, a bottling I couldn't find and hadn't tried. Upon returning home, I discovered this was indeed a special release. Being a great admirer of wheated bourbon and having enjoyed both extremes of the Weller range, my anticipation was immense. Poured neat into a Glencairn at home. The nose is rich with caramel, oak, and vanilla, along with mild apples and noticeable heat. The taste brings oak and vanilla with a strong onset of spice. A touch of water opens it up, allowing the sweeter caramel notes to surface. Overall, it delivers significantly more spice and heat than anticipated. I enjoy this, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. I was hoping to be amazed, and I'm simply not. This is not the smooth experience I envisioned. Good, perhaps very good, but not exceptional. 6/13/19

I have a Twin Liquors selection. The aroma is where the main distinction lies compared to the standard bottling. I still detect the apples and caramel along with the classic notes of the Old Weller Antique, but there's an underlying hint of orange or another smooth fruit. A friend refers to this particular bottle as the 'orange dreamsicle' bottle. I'm a big enthusiast of Old Weller Antique, and this bottling is excellent. I employ the rating system below. The distiller uses a scale of 5, while I use a scale of 10, but I'm confident you're not too intoxicated to figure that out! 1. Disgusting - So bad I poured it out. 2. Poor - I would not choose to drink it. 3. Bad - Has multiple flaws. 4. Below average - Not terrible, but there are many other options I'd prefer. 5. Good - Simply average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Significantly above average. 8. Excellent - In its own class. 9. Incredible - An all-time favorite. 10. Perfect

Consumed neat from a specific store pick. A great initial impression from the first pour. It has deep, rich flavors, with a touch of oak leading to apples, vanilla, and honey, plus a little baking spice. There's something intriguing about the aroma. It started rich and dark but has become overwhelmingly light and bright. The taste is also very different from expectations. The single barrel is quite distinct. Brown sugar and apples on the palate, transitioning to the caramels and oak I associate more with another bottling. The legs show vanilla and apple again. It dries the mouth out considerably, and a fair amount of alcohol warmth remains and intensifies with the legs. I was looking forward to trying a single barrel of this particular expression. The experience was decent but had some sharp edges. I will try it again once it has had more time to open up, but this particular serving is just good, not exceptional.

It's been two weeks since my last proper serving, so I should make it count by enjoying a rather difficult-to-obtain Weller 107 store pick. I don't believe I've ever had a Weller before, or perhaps even a wheated bourbon. For a 107 proof spirit, this is remarkably smooth and silky. I'm not experiencing the heat I would expect. It's also sweeter than most bourbons I've sampled; with cinnamon roll and oak on the palate, followed by a long vanillin finish. At $50, this is an easy purchase decision. Many thanks to a friend for this generous sample!