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Whiskey Review: William Larue Weller 2017

We review William Larue Weller 2017, the cask-strength wheated bourbon released every year as part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.

OVERALL RATING

8
  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
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Tasting Notes

About:

128.2 proof, 12 years old.
Appearance:
Warm, reddish amber
Nose:
This is a real caramel bomb. Almost comically sweet waves of vanilla bean, caramel cream, baking cookies, and Werther’s Originals waft from the glass. It’s like walking past an ice cream shop firing on all cylinders at a seaside town in the middle of August. With a little water, those sugary curtains lift a bit to reveal some more anchoring qualities—a little earthiness and must, a touch of roasted corn, and a warm, textured quality of oak.
Palate:
Although it’s lower proof than last years’, this edition of William Larue Weller is still quite warming. The first sip reveals a gestural suggestion of figs and cherries, with a honeyed mouth feel and high toned pepper-oak tingle at the close. Still, it’s a bit closed. A few drops of water improve matters. It’s still very warming, with a nice thick mouth feel, but now I can make out a trifecta of fresh, dried, and flamed orange zest, with a dusting of nutmeg. Sanguine minerality in the tail adds a nice edge, but the finish is over before I’m ready to see WLW leave.
Finish:
Comments:
By any standards, this is a very nice bourbon, but it doesn’t quite come together for me the way last year’s did. The bottling proof felt a little closed, and while water helped tease out some complexity, it also trimmed the finish to just short of satisfying. If you can track this down at MSRP, go for it, but I would proceed with caution on the secondary market. Still, yet another highly pleasurable bourbon from Buffalo Trace.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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