Weller 18 Year Old Straight Wheat Whiskey
Weller Millennium is the latest luxury whiskey released by Buffalo Trace. The company states that it is “comprised of a blend of vintage straight wheated bourbon and wheat whiskeys that were distilled near the turn of the millennium and matured at Buffalo Trace Distillery for various lengths of time.”
An immediate sense that you’re about to embark on a tasting of a well-aged whiskey greets you as you lift the glass up. Softer yet present scents of aged oak, freshly baked dinner rolls, cinnamon sticks, and light ripe cherry waft out. Inhaling deeper reveals further scents of barrel char, light vanilla, wildflower honey, subtle white peppercorn, and a drizzle of molasses. For anyone who’s ever had a “dusty” whiskey, Weller Millenium definitely gives off that same experience as you sit taking in what it has to offer. It uses its 99 proof points to deliver an aroma that absolutely nails what you’d want out of a whiskey. The scents are perfectly mingled together, never coming across as too light or too overbearing, and there’s not a hint of ethanol to ruin the experience. A truly fantastic way to start off the sip.
The nose sets an incredibly high bar that the midpoint of the sip just isn’t able to live up to. Immediate notes of aged charred oak surface and fight to hold your attention the entire time. Trying to push their way through are notes of white peppercorn spice and spiced honey, which never come across as overpowering, but do add a nice hint of spice to the mix. Subtle orange rind and cherry add contrasting bitter and sweet components, respectively. The flavors work really well together, and while the spice and fruit components are nice, there’s no denying that the dry, almost tannic oak is dominant and holds the other flavors back from truly shining to their fullest. That said, the tannic oak never comes across as a fault, instead making its presence known but stopping short of playing the villain.
The finish starts the exact same way that the palate ends, with dry, slightly tannic oak kicking things off. There’s a hefty amount of mixed peppercorn spice which quickly turns into an underlying warming heat. Additional fleeting cherry and floral notes appear along with the slightest touch of vanilla brown sugar. It’s a strong way to end the sip, but like the palate, doesn’t rise to the height of the outstanding aroma that kicked things off.
