Sips & Sites & Bites

Weller bourbon is known for its smooth, neat taste. And in recent years, the makers from Buffalo Trace have given us a Full Proof version as well as expressions aged 12 years and older.

Now, the Distillery just introduced Weller Millennium, a first-of-its-kind, ultra-aged whiskey from the “Original Wheated Bourbon” brand. 

Weller Millennium is made up 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.

It was back around the year 2000 when the Distillery was in a transition period, and the whiskey makers looked to their predecessors for inspiration. It was then that the distillation team chose to pay homage to W.L. Weller by setting aside some of the first whiskeys distilled in the new millennium for the sole purpose of creating this new expression.

“At Buffalo Trace Distillery, our motto is ‘Honor Tradition, Embrace Change,’” said Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace’s master distiller, in a recent statement. 

“As we are in constant pursuit of making the world’s best whiskey, we often hold back small lots of barrels to continue aging beyond our typical brand standards in hope that this aging experimentation will result in a particularly well-balanced, matured whiskey. In this case, we found the whiskey distilled in 2000 to show incredible balance and asked ourselves how wheat would perform as an ultra-aged spirit. It’s proven to be an impeccable backbone to this expression, allowing us to showcase wheat’s versatility and innovate beyond traditional wheated bourbon.”

Weller Millennium is actually a blend of vintage straight bourbon and wheat whiskeys distilled in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006, and looks to highlight the impact wheat has on the whiskey’s flavor, Wheatley explained. 

He said the softness imparted by the wheat creates a smoother, sweeter, more approachable expression. By marrying these spirits, the whiskeys further integrate and harmonize with each other, creating a cohesive, balanced final product that is greater than the sum of its parts.

“In the 1840s, William Larue Weller created a legendary legacy by being one of the first to use wheat as an ingredient, establishing Weller as the World’s Original Wheated Bourbon,” said Andrew Duncan, global brand director at Buffalo Trace. “Using wheat in place of rye in the mash bill brought outstanding approachability with complexity of flavor. Today, wheated recipes comprise some of the most coveted whiskies in the world, of which Weller has earned global recognition as the most awarded brand from the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery. Having patiently waited for these exceptional whiskies to mature to our standard, we are pleased to introduce Weller Millennium as the brand’s pinnacle expression. This world-class expression captures the spirit of the incredible optimism felt at the turn of millennium, while charting a path to the future as a globally-celebrated wheated brand.”

The distiller’s notes show that on the nose, Weller Millennium features aromas of caramel and toffee, thanks to the years in oak barrels. It tastes of dried fruits, such as figs or raisins, and a touch of stone fruit can be found lingering throughout.  Sweet notes of caramel persist on the palate finishing with a prominent oak influence.

Weller Millennium’s packaging sees a 750ml handcrafted crystal decanter with a custom-made crystal topper hand-etched with W.L. Weller’s original “W” stamp of quality. An illuminated display envelopes the 99-proof bottling with exactly 99 bursts while sharing the percentages of each vintage spirit inside the bottle.

Weller Millennium will be released in limited quantities through United States and global distributor networks, which will ship to retailers, bars and restaurants in June. It will have a suggested retail price of $7,500 per bottle.

For more information, check out https://buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/w-l-weller/weller-millennium.html.