Weller Special Reserve
W.L. Weller · Buffalo Trace Distillery
Weller Special Reserve is the quiet cornerstone of the Weller lineup, and it rewards those who meet it on its own terms rather than chasing its rarer siblings. It demonstrates that approachability and quality are not mutually exclusive. A daily sipper that punches well above its price.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Soft caramel and fresh wheat bread open the nose, followed by a gentle wave of vanilla and honeyed corn. There is a faint floral quality underneath, like dried wildflowers pressed between pages.
Palate
The entry is remarkably smooth, with butterscotch coating the tongue before giving way to toasted wheat and light cinnamon spice. A subtle cherry note appears midpalate, adding just enough fruit to keep things interesting.
Finish
Medium length, with lingering vanilla and a soft wheaty sweetness that fades gently.
- Mash Bill
- Wheat, corn, malted barley (exact proportions undisclosed)
- Barrel Type
- New charred American oak
- Bottled in Bond
- No
- Single Barrel
- No
- Wheated
- Yes
Cocktail Suggestion
Mercy Old Fashioned — 2 oz Weller Special Reserve · 0.25 oz demerara syrup · 3 dashes Angostura bitters · Stir with ice 30 seconds, strain over a large cube, express an orange peel.
Food Pairing
The cookie's nutty, toasty sweetness mirrors the bourbon's butterscotch character, while the crumbly texture creates a satisfying contrast with the spirit's silky mouthfeel.
Distilled at Buffalo Trace using the same wheated mash bill made famous by Pappy Van Winkle, Weller Special Reserve carries a lineage that stretches back to William Larue Weller's nineteenth-century innovation of replacing rye with wheat.
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