William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon 2023 Release
Ah, William Larue Weller - WLW - one of the most consistently great bourbons year after year. Whether you’re a fan of wheated, cask strength, bourbon over rye or malt, and age, there’s something here for you.
I’ve been fortunate to taste every WLW release since the first in 2010, plus some cask strength wheated bourbon taken straight from the casks (so not blended like WLW, but still cask strength Buffalo Trace wheated bourbon). Each has been great. Seriously - not one has been under a 7 for me. It’s more consistent in my ratings than any other yearly release, including George T. Stagg, whose inaugural release in 2002 holds one of my three ever perfect scores.
This is, at its core, the same whiskey that goes into any Weller or Van Winkle bourbon. The difference comes down to age and proof. A truly astonishing thought is that the Van Winkles choose their barrels for their lineup each year from Buffalo Trace’s wheated stocks, and the barrels that go into WLW get passed over.
That thought leads to this: the consistency of flavor and quality is all about the blending. Drew Mayville, who has been blending for Buffalo Trace for nearly two decades, is responsible for leading the team that creates this year-over-year excellence. In total, this year’s release comes in at 12 years and 6 months old, with barrels taken from the 2nd and 3rd floors (low ones!) of warehouses C, L, M, and N. 66% of the original liquid was lost to evaporation over that time since it was distilled in Spring 2011 (yikes…I was still in college then), meaning a concentrated wheated bourbon that is simply divine.
You can read the full release letter here.
I must admit, though, this year’s release - while still very good - is on the lower end of my ratings for WLWs. It’s clearly a case of something being just slightly off balance, with the proof overtaking the flavors at times and a less deep profile than other releases. Even so, it’s still well above a 7 - meaning even when it’s “less good,” its still very, very good.
Thank you to Sazerac for providing this sample free of charge. All opinions are my own.
William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon 2023 Release: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Producer: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 133.6 (66.8% ABV)
Age: 12 Years 6 Months Old
Location: Kentucky
William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon 2023 Release Price: $124.99
William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon 2023 Release: Tasting Notes
Eye: Maple syrup. Moderate rims and a few teardrop-laden legs.
Nose: Strong ethanol hit, followed by cola syrup (Dr. Pepper, anyone?). Just as full-bodied as you’d expect, with minimal proof on the nose. Sweet toffee and caramel-draped red fruits. Banana bread French toast and Florentine cookies, lacy caramel cookies dipped in a thin layer of chocolate.
Palate: Red candied apples, berry nerds, and Australian licorice. Candied sweetness with a date/fig undertone keeping this from being too overtly sweet. Unctuous, the cola syrup just as strong on the palate as it was on the nose. Mouthfeel is surprisingly palatable for 133.6 proof. There’s a solid prof burn on the whole tongue, culminating at the tip, but it doesn’t destroy your senses - it just grabs your tongue hard.
Finish: Medium length, chocolate-covered dried fruits and a waning proof presence. The apple notes are gone, but the fig and date reassert to keep this dark towards the finish.
Overall: It’s good - very good - but there’s an element that’s off. The proof is just a little hot, and the sweetness borders on too sweet. Without the intermittent undertones of dates and figs, this would be syrupy, maybe sickly sweet. For once, I’m begging for a little more oak, which is surprisingly absent throughout the entire pour. I think it would provide the backbone that’s missing.
Final Rating: 7.9
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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