Let down by Weller Special Reserve

[mouch]

So I picked up two bottles because it's not around here often (Canada) and the last time I had the pleasure of getting the big brother Weller 12. Held off all week and tonight sat down and poured myself a sample. Not what I was looking for. I needed to pour a small sample of what's left of the 12 and night and day. I gambled when picking up two reserves because the 12 went fast when it was avail (no longer) and didn't want to loose out again.

I'll try again in a day or so incase it's just the week I was having but in my humble opinion, these are worlds apart.

For the price point up here there are several others that this bottles price could buy.

[B.B. Babington]

though my experience with reserve and antique is limited, I very much prefer weller with more age. the younger seems harsher and less interesting to me. to me, it really gains ground at 10 year. some of the 10 year is super great and then 12 year morphs even more. I'd love to have more older expressions to see how it goes, like 18 year and 25 year, but if they magically appeared on the market, price would be too high and one could never find them.

[jeffrey r]

Bear in mind, Weller Special Reserve (90 proof) is just watered down Old Weller Antique (107 proof). May as well get the OWA, drink it to your taste, and be able to blend the OWA with your Weller 12 while you are at it (the SB Blend).

[PaulO]

Diluted Antique tastes much better than SR to me. I know they are supposed to be the same thing at different proof. I have passed up many Weller SR on the hunt for OWA or W12. I find SR to be thin and bland. For a wheated bourbon, I think Makers or Old Fitz bond are better.

[mouch]

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately OWA doesn't make it up here. I believe even the 12 only made it up here once last year and limited numbers. I typically have to load up when I head south and all the family pouts when the limit to take back is used on my bourbon alone.

[mibourbonguy]

wow, that's unfortunate. OWA makes for a pretty good pour (I just had some), even if it's not the smoothest around. It seems that W12 is pretty rare, but is worth hunting from what I hear.

[Tucker]

WSR was an occasional purchase when it was $9.99 and had a 7 year age statement, as recently as 2012. I liked it, and I still have a handle I pour from every so often. It really shouldn't be compared to W12, though. If you are interested in a good wheater at a decent price try Larceny, which I prefer to any other NAS wheater out there.

[mouch]

Thanks for the input. Larceny is on my list of bottles to find and try. I don't believe it's ever made it's way this far north yet so I'll need to keep an eye out on my next trip. 9.99 for WSR wow, I'm embarrassed to tell you what it is now in Ontario. 37 Cdn before all the tax at the register. The good news is the extra bottle can be brought back to exchange for a regular pour or explore another. (most likely) There are a few bottles of baby Saz at my local so I may just branch out and take another shot at finding something new. I have my faithful pours but always looking for another gem.

[fozzy71]

If it doesn't open up after sitting a bit try mixing a bit of it with something that has some more age on it like maybe EC12 and see what you come up with.

[Xevious]

WSR is one of the few bottles I really didn't like. I'm not good at tasting notes but the predominant flavor I picked out was like sticking your tongue in a 9 volt battery (the taste, not the burn), with a finish that fell off a cliff after about two seconds. It did improve a little after being open for a while, but still not something I wanted to spend money on again. I've always wondered if I just had a bad bottle, because I like the other Weller products.

I don't care for Larceny either, for what it's worth.

[BourbonJoe]

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately OWA doesn't make it up here. I believe even the 12 only made it up here once last year and limited numbers. I typically have to load up when I head south and all the family pouts when the limit to take back is used on my bourbon alone.

Where is "up here"?

[flahute]

Where is "up here"?

He's in Canada somewhere.

[mouch]

Where is "up here"?

Ontario, Canada.

We're at the mercy of a liquor control board that doesn't bring in much other than the usual MM or BT. (not knocking them, just it probably makes up the lion's share of what we see most often). Everything else is in limited releases if it comes in at all. Most of what I have on the shelf comes from the many trips south.

[nblair]

WSR was good when it was $26.99 a 1.75L and it was your house mixing bourbon. If you listen to the fools that treat it like the holy grail because it says "Weller" across the front, you will be disappointed.

[mouch]

I picked it up because I was so happy with the weller 12. I had picked up 2 last year and after having some of the first went back for more but sold out in the entire province. 12 hasn't returned to Ontario since and picked up the reserve thinking it would be similar. After having the first I poured some from the 12 to sample and found them far apart. I can see it as a mixer but I tend to drink neat and sip away. Maybe ice.

[latech15]

I break my bourbons down into a few categories. Weller reserve falls into the "starter" category. I tend to enjoy it as a first drink of the evening, when I want only one before bed. If I want to introduce a new bourbon drinker to a wheater, or for mixing. It isn't one that I would want to stay with all night, but I rarely drink two of anything on a given night. I like the variety.

[mouch]

I actually brought back the second bottle. Not an issue especially if it's for an upgrade. (time will tell) Exchanged it for a bottle of Blanton's Special Reserve. I needed to kick in a few more dollars. Here's keeping the fingers crossed that I didn't exchange one reserve I wasn't a fan of for another reserve that disappoints. :grin:

[Enoch]

I personally enjoy WSR when I want a light wheater to sip on or mix especially when I can get the 1.75s for $20 - $22 in GA. Drive down a couple of times a year when I get a call it is in stock. I also buy all the WSR and W12 I can find but they are $22 - $30 per 750 around here. Always keep as much bunkered as I can. By the same token I keep FRY when I want a light ryer (is that a word?) because it is under $25 per 1.75. I don't always want an old or high AVB bourbon. Just as I don't always want a 15% barrel-aged ale. Love them both but don't want them all the time.

I will say I have several liters of older 7year WSR and it is better/richer/sweeter to my taste. But I still like the new stuff.

M$.02W

[fishnbowljoe]

I'm with Enoch about the Weller SR when I want a light wheater. Weller SR has never let me down. As per my signature, "I never met a Weller I didn't like." :grin:

Weller SR is at the bottom end of the Weller ladder, so, I myself have no expectations that it will be as good as Weller 12 or OWA. That being said, one local store near me has done a number of barrel picks of Weller SR over the years that have been absolutely fantastic. Good fortune there being me and Vosgar got to be in on tasting the barrel samples of a couple of their picks. Fun stuff even though they just wanted our opinion and had already decided on the barrels they were going to pick.

The weird thing around here lately has been being able to find OWA and Weller 12 on the shelves, while Weller SR has been absent for a while. Usually it's the other way around. :skep: The last couple of bottles of Weller SR I bought were while I was on vacation this past March.

Cheers! Joe

[Richnimrod]

I have to agree with Joe and Enoch. WSR will never be W-12, nor even OWA, or any of the VW's; but, for me it's all I expect for the low-end wheater that it is.

I find it a step up from Maker's standard issue, at less cheddar. It's always consistent, and has a very nice nose.

One could debate the superiority of Larceny or WSR (on some days Larceny hits me better, on others it's WSR); but overall I find it a pleasant, if unspectacular pour, and I always have at least one open.

[Golzee]

WSR is the only weller I have tried, I have been unable to find a bottle of either OWA or W12. But, in time I will eventually try them both. I bought WSR to work my way up the weller ladder and it did not impress. IMO it is unremarkable juice, there are other wheated bourbons that I would pick over WSR in the price range. I paid around $20 for my lone bottle, which, is way too much IMO (it should only cast $12 tops).

[Spade]

I like it for what it is, an expensive wheater. When it was $10 or so, I'd usually pick it over Larceny. The price has gone up and it's become harder to find, so it's been a while since I've had one. The last bottle I bought was kind of disappointing—it was was hotter and thinner than I remembered. Not sure if that was just bad luck or part of a trend.

[Vosgar]

As fishnbowljoe stated above, we've been able to get some private selection WSR's that have been very nice whiskies.... and from more than one store. While I haven't bought any in a while, still have a few from 2010 and 2012 that will never be considered by me as being something I have to "settle" for. IMHO, it's kind of like FRYL, maybe not the best those distilleries have to offer but still good stuff. Hey Joe.... maybe it's time to do a sbs on some 2010 Everett's vs 2012 Eagle River vs whatever you've got? :grin:

[ramblinman]

Happiness is expectation minus reality. In the midst of the whiskey craze its best to internally temper down expectations even if everyone around you is convinced its liquid candy distilled by Gods own hands. Theres a good bet its going to taste like whiskey and a lot closer to standard shelf fare than the aforementioned divine candy.

WSR is decent whiskey, but its very entry level for a wheater. Makes a decent mixer, and the price is hard to beat, but if you go into it expected a world of intricate flavors/note you're probably not going to be happy in the end.

For me I'll reach for OWA over WSR every time, but I'd do the same with it over the 12 year. I feel like in a wheater as young as WSR the reduced proof holds back a lot of its interesting parts.

[fishnbowljoe]

Hey Joe.... maybe it's time to do a sbs on some 2010 Everett's vs 2012 Eagle River vs whatever you've got? :grin:

I think I smell a set up here. :skep: I'm pretty sure you know that about the only bottle of Weller SR I have left is that faux tax stamped, Louisville/SW bottle that we found on the way back from the KBF a few years ago. The one from that store in Bloomington that I finally shamed the guy out of. :grin: Remember???:slappin: