2015 marks the highest proof release of the William Larue Weller Bourbon to date. Made from Buffalo Trace’s wheated mashbill it comes from a distillation run done in the spring of 2003. The barrels were then filled and left to mature on the 2nd and 6th floors of warehouses I, K and L – which doesn’t mean much to most, but is a point of interest for posterity’s sake. The wheated mashbill used for the William Larue Weller Bourbon is the same thing that goes into the regular Weller Bourbon releases as well as all of the Van Winkle releases.
This year the William Larue Weller Bourbon was my favorite of the BTAC releases and is stellar whiskey from first sniff to the last lingering traces of the finish. Along with the George T. Stagg it’s the one I put my name on lottery lists for, but never seem to win. Someday it might happen, but in the meantime a lot of bars in Los Angeles have decent prices on their BTAC pours so I’ve still been able to enjoy at least a glass every year since moving here which has been the silver lining in the midst of this insanity.
2015 William Larue Weller Bourbon Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Buffalo Trace
Mashbill: Wheated Mash
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 12 years
ABV: 62.3%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 2015
Price: $80 (MSRP)
2015 William Larue Weller Bourbon Review
EYE
Leather
NOSE
Cherry heavy dark fruit, wood, complex dark sweets, toasted grain and dried fruit. Add a bit of water and the sweetness and woodiness expand equally and a light spice shows up.
PALATE
Wood, cherry heavy dark fruit, toasted grain, dried fruit, citrus, dark sweets and a bit of earthiness. Water again expands both the sweet and rustic notes evenly while allowing some light spice to arrive along with a bolder toffee-like dark sweet note.
FINISH
Long and woody with layers of dark fruit, dark sweets and a bit of dark earthiness.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Perfectly balanced, rich full body and a thick oily feel.
OVERALL
2015 William Larue Weller Bourbon is, in a word, incredible. The nose is dense and rich even after several rounds of slowly adding water to see what emerges. The palate is the same and delivers a complex flavor that keeps moving and morphing – one minute it’s dried figs and cherries the next it’s more raisins and strawberries. The finish is equally nice and fades out oaky earthy and sweet.
I haven’t tried any of the pre-2010 WLWs, but I have had the 2010 – 2014 Weller BTACs and this beats them hands down. I still wouldn’t pay secondary prices for this whiskey, because something that comes out annually isn’t worth those prices. Pricing tangent aside, this is damn good bourbon and my favorite of the 2015 BTAC line.
SCORE: 93 – 96/100 (consumed at a tasting, not at home)
