What do I have here? Stitzel Weller - Weller Original?

[sbsbsb]

Picked up this 375ml.  Knew it was several years old when I bought it.  Label reads Louisville, 88076 UPC, and the code near the neck of the bottle reads A3197.  From what I can decipher, this indicates a bottling date of January 31, 1997.  If that is indeed the case, that means this bourbon was distilled in January of 1990 at the latest...likely earlier.  So do I have SW Weller Original 107 here?  Any other possibilities?

 

[fishnbowljoe]

Sorry SBS, but I don't think it's SW distillate. You might want to do a search of some the older threads. IIRC, this subject has been covered here before. I've seen, and bought a few of these in the past. They may be a little older, but I believe it was mostly because BT (like other distilleries) using/getting rid of older labels. In this case, it was more than likely because of the 375 ml bottle size.

Joe

[sbsbsb]

Thanks, Joe.  I did a search, but if you can point me to any of those old threads, I'd appreciate it.  Of course, labels can always be old, particularly with 375's.  But the code is the real question here...a fairly knowledgeable friend of mine was pretty confident the laser code of A3197 indicated a bottling of January 31st, 1997.  Can anyone shed any light on that?

[sbsbsb]

No other thoughts on the code?  Or otherwise on whether this is SW distillate?

[T Comp]

https://www.straightbourbon.com/community/topic/20701-old-weller-antique-bottle-details-over-the-years/#comment-387345

 

Edited April 11, 2016 by T Comp

[jsrudd]

I think the date code proves that the bottle is from 1997 and therefore bottled by Diageo. If you can find a number stamped on the bottom of the bottle, that would pretty much settle it. Sorry the post is so long, but I think it's probably best to outline my thinking. 

Looking at the code (A3197 0124), there are two likely readings. The first possibility is that the "A" stands for the month ("A" being January, "B" being February, etc.), the "31" is the day of the month, the "97" is the year of bottling and the 0124 is the time of bottling. The other possibility is that the "A" is the bottling line or some other internal designation, the "319" is the day of the year (i.e., 11/15), the "7" is the last digit of the year of bottling and the "0124" is the time of bottling. 

If it's the first, then it was bottled January 31, 1997 (as you suggested). If its the second, all you know is that it was bottled in either 1997 or 2007 (I think that 1987 is unlikely based on the plastic top, but you can rule it out completely if there is a government health warning). Looking at a few examples from the post linked by Joe, I think we can determine that the bottle is from 1997. 

If you look at qblick's post on page 2 of the post linked above, you can see that he has a 750ml bottle with the same date code layout as you do. The bottle is also stamped with a 97 on the bottom. His code is D2798 0695. Based on this information, the bottle is from 1998. Unfortunately, this doesn't help us decide between the two possible interpretations of the date code, but it does let you know that date codes like this were being used in 1998. 

If you look at smknjoe's post on page 1 of the post linked above, you can see that he lists a date code for a 375ml bottle from 2007. This code is 41010712:56. This format is not the same as your code. This makes it very likely that your bottle is from 1997. 

Therefore, no matter how the date code is read, it seems very likely that the "7" means 1997. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by jsrudd

[tanstaafl2]

If your interpretation of the code is correct (and I have no idea) then 1:24 in the morning is an odd time of the morning to be running the bottling line, especially back in the glut era, but not impossible I suppose. But it is not as odd as 6:95 in the morning! So presumably the last 4 numbers mean something else. Which of course does not mean the rest of your interpretation couldn't be correct.

Probably the best option is to open it up and drink it! If you like it then great, and it doesn't really matter where it came from. If you don't like it then not so great, and it still doesn't really matter where it came from.

Just a thought...

[smokinjoe]

46 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 But it is not as odd as 6:95 in the morning! 

That's Kentuckian Code for 7:35...

[jsrudd]

13 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 But it is not as odd as 6:95 in the morning!

You're right. I missed that. Guess it's not the time. 

I tried looking up Diageo bottling codes but it seems like no one knows much about them (and some scotch guys would really like to know!). 

[b1gcountry]

As in:

I'm not late for work, it's still 6:95

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[gblick]

I seriously doubt that this is a case of getting rid of older labels on newer stock (sorry, Joe!).

On the Weller bottles, I've never seen a Louisville label without a hand-written code at the upper left, and I've also never seen a Frankfort label with a hand-written code there.  So then, once they started bottling in Frankfort (where they didn't write codes in by hand), why would they hand-write a code there?  Could it be because they were using up old Louisville labels and thought they should write something there since all Louisville labels had something written there?  I seriously doubt that.

I've carefully compared (in hand) the 375ml OWA bottles from Louisville and Frankfort, and the glass bottles themselves are actually molded differently.  The shoulders on up transitioning into the neck are more curved on the Louisville bottles, and the Louisville bottles are also a little bit fatter and rounder (front-to-back) than the Frankfort bottles.  See the pics below from the previous OWA bottle details thread:

'03 bottle from Frankfort:

  

'94 bottles from Louisville:

The bottle in question (from the OP) sure looks the same as the bottle from '94 above (though we can only see the shoulders/neck and not the front-to-back thickness/roundness).

For these reasons (Louisville label with hand-written code in the upper left, and same 'older' bottle mold), I believe this to be a genuine Louisville bottle.  I also believe (in my totally unprofessional non-expert opinion) that it is most likely SW distillate.  Regardless, I'm sure it's mighty tasty!

Sbsbsb, why don't you look on the bottom of the bottle for a 2-digit number molded into the glass?  I'm sure there must be one there, though sometimes it can be distorted or very faint.  Please reply back and tell us what number is under there.

Oh, and regarding the A3197 code....I don't know anything about how to decipher that, sorry.

Edited April 14, 2016 by gblick
add something

[sbsbsb]

Thanks to gblick and everyone else for the great responses, appreciate it!  I turned the bottle over, and...

 

it looks EXACTLY like the bottom of the bottle in the last picture posted by gblick, including the "94" designation.  So, I'm still inclined to agree with my buddy, and the majority of posters in this thread:  It looks like the bottle was produced in 94 and the date stamp seems to indicate a January 1997 fill date.  That means Stitzel Weller, as it was most likely distilled in the late 80's or 1990 at the very latest.

 

[gblick]

Cool deal, thanks for the update.  That's some good drinking there, enjoy!

[Sluggo]

I wish BT would do a retro label on their Weller bottles. The new labels are boring compared to what is pictured in this thread.