William Larue Weller 2021 Bourbon
As I wrote in my Thomas H. Handy 2021 review (still my rye of the year, BTW), this year’s BTAC was a weird, new situation. William Larue Weller, that perennial powerhouse of wheat, was the best contender to take over the top rank with George T. Stagg not being released. At least, that is, for proof whores like I am. After all, last year’s W. L. Weller kicked some serious ass.
W. L. Weller - WLW for short - is pretty unique in the bourbon world, and that’s saying something. There are no direct competitors for a wheated bourbon at high age (12 years 6 months) and high proof (125.3 proof, on the low end of recent years but still up there). The closest anyone comes on a large scale is the Rebel Cask Strength from Lux Row at 120 proof, but not nearly the age. Maker’s Mark DNA series has one or two entries that might compete on proof, but are also still younger. Only the Pappy line - basically the creme-de-la-creme of Weller barrels - matches it for age.
As far as I know, there’s no one really close to matching WLW on either side of the equation, so it’s difficult to make a comparison. I tried it alongside this year’s THH and the Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill High Proof, so a high proof stand-off but an imperfect one at that.
I tried the WLW second, after the Coy Hill but before the THH. It was fantastic - easy mid-8 range. Not quite 2020 level, but still in my top three bourbons of the year off the bat. 100% WLW - intense chocolate through and through, complex and intriguing from nose to finish. The only negative I had was a bitterness that opened towards the end, but it was more an unsweetened chocolate than a woody bitterness.
So, big question: is the William Larue Weller my 2021 bourbon of the year? Ultimately, yes. It’s not that simple, though. It was my highest rated bourbon that was produced this year. I had a few others that exceeded it in score and overall feeling, but none were from 2021. Coincidentally, these were also all Buffalo Trace products - older vintages of George T. Stagg or Stagg Jr. Hell, the original George T. Stagg from 2002 earned my only perfect score this year.
That’s not to say the 2021 WLW wasn’t worthy of the title - the mouthfeel was insanely good, as was the flavor. After losing 61% of the original liquid to evaporation, there was little doubt the viscosity would measure up. It’s only flaw - if you can call it a flaw - was that it wasn’t transcendent. Some of the best whiskies I’ve tried scored in the high 8’s instead of the 9’s or even a 10 because, for all their excellence, they didn’t add something new to the table.
Admittedly, this is an intangible that may or may not be a fair consideration, but it is for me. Something can be a “perfect” whiskey and not score a 10. Maybe it doesn’t make me think, maybe it’s excellence I’ve seen before or expect without anything extra, but for lack of better explanation it simply doesn’t exceed that threshold.
That’s where this WLW release hits. An incredible bourbon, a worthy entry to the BTAC, and yet not transcendent in the way I felt last year’s was.
If I get a bottle, I’m still keeping it…
William Larue Weller 2021 Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Mashbill: Undisclosed Wheated Bourbon Mashbill
Proof: 125.3 (62.65% ABV)
Age: 12 Years 6 Months Old
Location: Kentucky
William Larue Weller 2021 Bourbon Whiskey Price: $109
William Larue Weller 2021 Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Barrel-aged maple syrup. Medium rims, syrupy droplet legs.
Nose: Jesus…that’s liquid chocolate babka. Brioche and eggy challah, semisweet chocolate, barest hint of proof. Dark port and sauternes add unctuous fruit notes with some air.
Palate: Candied bourbon, thick and creamy. Some proof and pepper spice sneaks in, as does darker chocolate. Deep, dark fruitiness coats the tongue, especially underneath. Mouthfeel is viscous, like fortified wine, silky and coating. So damn good, with heat building toward the end.
Finish: The heat catches up with the flavors here, lighting the babka on fire and turning the chocolate from dark to outright bitter for a few seconds, showing the age without going woody. Imagine a chocolate-covered sultana soaked in high-proof bourbon.
Overall: Only the bitterness at the end detracts, and not much at that. Otherwise, this is fantastic, evolving and complex at every turn.
Final Rating: 8.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
More BTAC Reviews
