Weller Full Proof - Binny’s Batch #13 - Review
The origins of wheated bourbon trace back to William Larue Weller, a pioneering whiskey merchant born in Kentucky in 1825. In 1849, Weller founded his wholesale liquor business in Louisville and introduced an innovation that reshaped the industry: substituting the traditional rye grain in the bourbon mash bill with soft red winter wheat. This produced a milder, gentler profile that Weller marketed under the ethos of "Honest Whiskey at an Honest Price." Weller later hired a young salesman named Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle, forging a historical connection between the two names. In 1935, following Repeal, the Weller business merged with the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery to open the legendary Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Shively, Kentucky, solidifying wheated bourbon's iconic reputation. After Stitzel-Weller closed, the Sazerac Company acquired the brand in 1999, moving production to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, where it shares its proprietary wheated mash bill with the Van Winkle line.
The Full Proof Expression
Introduced by Buffalo Trace in 2019, Weller Full Proof was created directly in response to whiskey enthusiasts demanding an expression that honored historical barrel specifications. The name reflects a specific distilling standard: the whiskey is bottled at 114 proof (57% ABV), exactly matching the proof at which Buffalo Trace fills the new oak barrels prior to maturation.
Crucially, Weller Full Proof is bottled non-chill filtered. Unlike standard chill-filtered releases that strip out fatty acids and esters to prevent cloudiness at colder temperatures, this expression retains all natural congeners and residual oils developed across its aging cycle. Offered alongside annual single-barrel selections for retail partners, Full Proof serves as the modern bridge between standard-proof wheaters and uncut barrel-proof releases, capturing the raw, heavy texture of Weller's celebrated wheated mash bill.
Review:
Nose: Soft oak, vanilla and medicinal cherries are the immediate notes I get on the first nosing. It is relatively strong as ethanol is prevalent as I continue to go back to it. After letting it rest for about 10-15 minutes, I get a faint cinnamon swirl toast note but this one is very fruit forward and smells sweet. There aren’t many “aged” notes in the nose, and I would guess this is probably 6-7 years old as many of the notes are floral/fruity and young.
Palate: Oily on the palate and drinks pretty firmly beneath its proof. If I was given this blind, I would guess this is about 100-105 proof. Fruit barrels through here as well. Raspberry jam, tinge of baking spice. The ethanol isn’t as prevalent on the palate but starts to appear toward the back end of the sip. Vanilla comes through after a little while. This bourbon most closely tastes like Christmas toffee cookies with powdered sugar. It is very sweet, almost overly so.
Finish: The finish is surprisingly long on this but doesn’t provide any more complexities. The small bits of oak and vanilla kick off the finish and then it immediately goes back to a honey and raspberry cream note and remains with you for about 30-40 seconds after the sip. Not much more to add. Nothing offensive, just nothing extraordinary.
Overall: (78). Overall, down the middle of the road at this price point in a much more concentrated wheated bourbon market than when this was launched in 2019. It gave the sweet characteristics that many love about wheated bourbons but that is where it started, and also ended. It is not a very complex pour but is very enjoyable and I can see why this is such a crowd-pleaser. This drinks well below it’s proof, provides good strong core flavors and has a nice consistency. It would hold up well over ice and would be an easy bottle to share to make a friend without losing too much sleep over it.
Value: 50/100; (-2 on the overall). I paid $69.99 for this bottle back in 2024 and I felt that was fair. If this really is 6-7 years old, it is right in line with what you would expect a bourbon to cost at this price. However, after having this next to Bardstown wheated which comes in at about $49.99, this is on shaky ground. I bet if I put that in a blind next to this, people may prefer the Bardstown bottle. This single barrel tasted very similar to the core “Full Proof” bottle and didn’t offer too much more. I gave this a 50/100 due to scarcity and the fact that there are many wheated bourbons now offering these stats for a lower price.
Availability: Still rare to find on the shelf. These are popping up more than they have been in recent months, due to the supply finally catching up to the demand when Buffalo trade started increasing their barrel output significantly just before Covid. I am not seeing these on the shelf, but I am seeing them much more out and about and I bet if you spent a weekend hunting around, you just might find a bottle for a reasonable price. I would not go much above $75-$80 for this bottle. Cheers!
Citations:
https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/weller/weller-full-proof.html
https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/weller.html
https://www.bourbonbanter.com/bourbon-whiskey-reviews/weller-full-proof-bourbon-review/
https://whiskyadvocate.com/weller-full-proof-bourbon-announced
https://www.pastemagazine.com/drink/whiskey/weller-full-proof-review-buffalo-trace-bourbon
