What are your thoughts on WLW 12yo vs W Antique 107 and why are they so hard to find?

[johnnyflake45]

My son and I, and some friends, enjoy the Weller 12yo and the Antique 107 a lot. Personally, I favor the 12yo.

We ran out of each a month or two ago and can't find any. I was forced to open a bottle of WLW Centennial, as a result. I had never had it before and I find it to be exceptionally good.

What are your thoughts on the 12yo vs the Antique?

Why are they so hard to find?

[DogfaceSoldier]

A lot of the liquor stores in Savannah advertise Weller 12 / OWA as a substitute for PVW and as a result, overnight they become impossible to find. My best luck finding OWA / 12 year has been from visiting smaller towns with bottles on the shelves. I prefer the flavor profile of 12 year personally, but the SB blend is definitely my preferred dram.

If you twist my arm, I might swap a 12yo for a Centennial! Only kidding. Good on you still having Centennial around - that's just about impossible to find anymore.

[chooch714]

Plenty of W12 and WSR around here but no OWA.

[johnnyflake45]

A lot of the liquor stores in Savannah advertise Weller 12 / OWA as a substitute for PVW and as a result, overnight they become impossible to find. My best luck finding OWA / 12 year has been from visiting smaller towns with bottles on the shelves. I prefer the flavor profile of 12 year personally, but the SB blend is definitely my preferred dram.

If you twist my arm, I might swap a 12yo for a Centennial! Only kidding. Good on you still having Centennial around - that's just about impossible to find anymore.

Thanks for the input.

The bottle of Centennial was hidden in one of my liquor cabinets. Don't even remember when I got it, but it's was a long time ago. It's really good stuff!

[gooneygoogoo]

Funny I tasted these 2 side by side tonight. The wife poured them so it was blind. I prefer the 12 but still enjoy the owa.

[kjbeggs]

Yep, it's definitely PappyMania that has made these two so hard to find.

Even here in Texas, where they were always plentiful, we have been having serious dry spells.

(right now, there's a good supply of both here).

They are both good to me, preference changes depending on my palate that day, but usually I prefer the W12.

Wish I could have gotten my hands on a bottle of Centennial (or 6)

[flahute]

As said above, it starts with Pappy and the bourbon boom trend.

A celebrity chef claims that Pappy Van Winkle is the best bourbon made and it gets picked up magazines, blogs, newspapers, etc. Everyone now wants it, but can't get it, it becomes legendary unobtanium. Articles are written about it and everyone learns it's a wheated bourbon, and since you can't get Pappy, you're told to get the closest thing you can which is Weller 12 and OWA107. It naturally follows that liquor store owners tell everyone looking for Pappy that Weller 12 is the closest substitute. More articles are written about the SB blend, otherwise known as Poor Man's Pappy. Now everyone wants OWA107 along with Weller 12.

This is why you can't find it.

[jwes1776]

Still prefer the SR to MM. Even the 46, though a little more complex isn't as enjoyable. That's just me though.

[nd2005]

Let me get this straight: Not only will most people not be able to procure a bottle of Pappy, but neither will they be able to find a whiskey that's similar?

I'm so ready for this boom to be over. (My liquor store only carries WSR. Yay me.)

You're not in traffic...you are traffic...

[bllygthrd]

I'm so ready for this boom to be over.

Second that! My local liquor store was so exited they got a case of WLWSR ... they are only allowing "preferred customers" access ... and they raised the price 35% ...

[Hop]

I saw WSR and OWA being plentiful in the Bowling Green area this week as well as a few places around Lebanon TN. No W12 anywhere though

[amg]

W12 is now an annual release according to last BT secondhand info I heard. It last hit here in December, so I'd guess we'll see it again in December.

[johnnyflake45]

W12 is now an annual release according to last BT secondhand info I heard. It last hit here in December, so I'd guess we'll see it again in December.

Well Now, That Sucks!

[fozzy71]

Well Now, That Sucks!

Indeed, I guess I better sit on this OWA and WSR I picked up the other day until I can have a W12 sitting next to them.

[johnnyoski]

W12 is now an annual release according to last BT secondhand info I heard. It last hit here in December, so I'd guess we'll see it again in December.

If that's the case I sure hope the price point doesn't drastically go up. We'll probably know the answer to that based on what we see when ETL starts trickling into stores over the next month.

[fozzy71]

If that's the case I sure hope the price point doesn't drastically go up. We'll probably know the answer to that based on what we see when ETL starts trickling into stores over the next month.

I just got an ETL (my first) in Auburn Hills for ~$35 IIRC. PM me if you want the name/location of the store as they actually had a decent/wide selection. I was traveling and decided to try here since they were on the list of stores for westland distilling but the only bottle they had of their single malt american was $80 so I passed on that.

[straightwhiskeyruffneck]

OWA is all over the place in my neck of the woods, for $16.99 no 12 though

[JDSmith619]

Agreed... I can find OWA when I fancy an extra bottle no problem.

OWA is all over the place in my neck of the woods, for $16.99 no 12 though

[Tony Santana]

I began seeing the "I can't find OWA anymore" posts long before it got scarce around here. Then it dried up, at least a couple months ago. Seeing it again now, which is obviously a good sign. Price has gone up slightly, but not substantially. W12 was non-existent here as far as I know, but did finally show up a month or so ago. Only for a very short time, but there was a brief window of availability. Funny how it can vary so much in different parts of the country. I agree with the others who say the current scarcity is related at least in part to the "poor man's Pappy" label. Me, I prefer the OWA to the W12, but like the blend better than either individually.

[SBOmarc]

I happen to have Weller 12 open and found it to be thinner and bit of a disappointment compared to past bottles. Weller 107 has always been a favorite, and I have a bottle that sits unopened. Both were available here Las Vegas late 2014 but disappeared quickly. There wasn't much of it and with the market as it operates in this boom made short work of the supply.

I don't see it on the well known bourbon bars on The Strip, and very little of it on my off strip haunts.

[Yeti]

Second that! My local liquor store was so exited they got a case of WLWSR ... they are only allowing "preferred customers" access ... and they raised the price 35% ...

I wish you would have seen my face walking out of there. I went in for my weekly face time appearance to buy some beer and they asked if I wanted "a Weller, but just the regular one." I clarified it was Special Reserve and thought, sure, why the hell not. When it rang up at $30 I nearly fell over.

Edit: I immediately drove to a friend's house and gifted it to him. There was no way I was going to drink a $30 bottle of WSR. At least he really appreciated the gesture.

[Tony Santana]

I wish you would have seen my face walking out of there. I went in for my weekly face time appearance to buy some beer and they asked if I wanted "a Weller, but just the regular one." I clarified it was Special Reserve and thought, sure, why the hell not. When it rang up at $30 I nearly fell over.

Edit: I immediately drove to a friend's house and gifted it to him. There was no way I was going to drink a $30 bottle of WSR. At least he really appreciated the gesture.

That's cool. Pay it forward, Yeti.

I've had my go-to spot save bottles for me, with a similar "you want it" query readily accepted by me without getting all the details. Fortunately I've never been burned too badly on price.

[Old Dusty]

Just picked up a W12.....but had to go to FLA to find it:grin: none to be had in the Hoosier State since the Dec '14 mini release.

[DonutsNBourbon]

W12 seems to be a dime a dozen around Chicago now. I've been at stores that have had dozens of them on the shelf. OWA seems to be slightly harder to find but I still see it and WSR is even more difficult for some reason, but I would be able to find them if needed.

[BourbonGuy]

I happen to have Weller 12 open and found it to be thinner and bit of a disappointment compared to past bottles. Weller 107 has always been a favorite, and I have a bottle that sits unopened. Both were available here Las Vegas late 2014 but disappeared quickly. There wasn't much of it and with the market as it operates in this boom made short work of the supply.

I don't see it on the well known bourbon bars on The Strip, and very little of it on my off strip haunts.

I was going to say the OWA was a bit if a diappointment compared to past bottles. Much sweeter. Les Oak? But I am compairing the older bottles with an age staement that was dropped.