After finding some Antique 107

[FasterHorses]

and WSR out in rural TN, I couldn't wait to get home to try it. Much to my surprise, I find both uninteresting and undrinkable. Well, I can drink them but it's not enjoyable. I have a 1.75 of WSR and another 750 of OWA unopened that I wish I could return. I can't remember another bottle except maybe Monkey Shoulder that I hated this much. Anyone else been thoroughly let down by Weller? Was determined to find some Weller 12 but now not so sure it's worth the effort. I like Blantons pretty well so I know it's not all BT products. 

[DeepCover]

I've never purchased a bottle of WSR, so I won't comment. I've had it in restaurants and liked it slightly better than Maker's.

 

With OWA, I've experienced some variation. The first pour of OWA I had was in a restaurant and I loved it. Bottles I've purchased have been rough with the first couple of pours. I've found OWA to improve once the bottle's been open for a bit. Give it some air and come back to it.

 

W12 I've found to be a different animal. It's never let me down. Even that bottle improves with time though from my experience.

[PaulO]

I noticed some variations in OWA after it lost the 7 year age statement.  The first NAS batches seemed pretty good.  Then came some that tasted too young to match the profile.  After that, it seemed ok again.

Also consider people like different things.  There are a couple brands other people love that I don't - and vice versa.

Some people dig Scotch.

[Clueby]

I've never met a bottle of OWA that I didn't like. Some I have loved. I have a PS bottle that's in my top 3 or 4 bottles of bourbon of any kind ever.

OWA is probably my number one favorite all-around bourbon for reliability and taste vs cost.  There are others that are "better" but I always find myself coming back to it.

Palates vary widely. Give it some time and you may have a different opinion. Or...you may not.  Leaves more for Me!

There are some bourbons that others rave about that I don't care for.

Edited September 16, 2017 by Clueby

[Wedelstaedt]

Both OWA. & WSR are midshelf bourbons. Maybe even entry level bottles. I think they are a good value, but get way too much hype. 

Because of name Weller & the assumed connection to VW  (which is erroneous).

 It is a shame, because so many folks lust for them because they don't see them in their area. Then snag a bottle & are let down. If the hype wasn't so strong, probably no disappointments. IMHO

 

 

[GeeTen]

Grandpa Weller's 4 Grain!  Vat that WSR with Old Grand Dad 114 (OGD114), 3:2.  Stick your vatting in the refrigerator and sip it on a warm fall night.  Don't throw it out - or I'll come down and take it off your hands!   

 

 

[BigRich]

Grandpa Weller's 4 Grain!  Vat that WSR with Old Grand Dad 114 (OGD114), 3:2.  Stick your vatting in the refrigerator and sip it on a warm fall night.  Don't throw it out - or I'll come down and take it off your hands!   [emoji3]
 
 

I have to whole heartedly endorse this advice. I'm a recent convert to the Grandpa Weller 4 grain blend. I find it to well exceed the sum of its parts.


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[beasled]

I like a wheated but they certainly don't appeal to me like they do to other people. And I agree on OWA, I too found it to be a hot mess. That was a couple of years ago though. 

[lcpfratn]

I have to whole heartedly endorse this advice. I'm a recent convert to the Grandpa Weller 4 grain blend. I find it to well exceed the sum of its parts.


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I agree! I never tried WSR back when it was age stated, but I've had several bottles in the past few years, and they were either too young and harsh tasting for the bottle proof or just mediocre. OGD114 is better juice, but I still have to admit that I think the combination of these two bourbons into Grandpa Weller 4 Grain is better than either bourbon separately.


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[lcpfratn]

I'm currently not a fan of WSR by itself, but use it as a mixer for Grandpa Weller 4 Grain. OWA is much better, but younger than it used to be. It does seem to get better with a little air time, so you might want to try it again on a later day. I'll be on the lookout for some OWA PS bottles that I hear might be coming to my area sometime in the future.


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[fishnbowljoe]

My advice to the OP would be to give it some time. Tastes, preferences and palates change. When I first became obsessed with Weller's, my hands down favorite was Weller 12. The OWA was my least favorite. Fast forward a few years. The OWA has climbed up my ladder, and to me it's now pretty much equal to, if not at times slightly better than Weller 12. While the Weller SR might not be on par with the 12 and OWA, IMHO, it still ain't no slouch. They all serve their purpose. Want a no brainer, easy drinker?  Weller SR is it. Want something with more flavor and character? Weller 12 fits the bill. Want something that packs a little more punch?  Then OWA is your baby. Like my handle says, "I never met a Weller I didn't like."   YMMV..............

 

Cheers! Joe

[Mako254]

Want to trade?

[lcpfratn]

My advice to the OP would be to give it some time. Tastes, preferences and palates change. When I first became obsessed with Weller's, my hands down favorite was Weller 12. The OWA was my least favorite. Fast forward a few years. The OWA has climbed up my ladder, and to me it's now pretty much equal to, if not at times slightly better than Weller 12. While the Weller SR might not be on par with the 12 and OWA, IMHO, it still ain't no slouch. They all serve their purpose. Want a no brainer, easy drinker?  Weller SR is it. Want something with more flavor and character? Weller 12 fits the bill. Want something that packs a little more punch?  Then OWA is your baby. Like my handle says, "I never met a Weller I didn't like." [emoji3]  YMMV..............
 
Cheers! Joe

Joe, maybe I've just gotten some really young batches the last few years, but the few WSR bottles I've had have not been what I would consider easy drinkers. I much prefer MM and Larceny over WSR any day. OWA is a completely different animal, of course, but I certainly prefer W12 over OWA. I haven't had an OWA PS yet though, so one of those could sway my opinion toward OWA.

To the OP, when reading anything from Joe regarding any Weller products, keep in my that the message is coming from a self-proclaimed Weller whore! [emoji6]

Cheers! Jeff


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[fishnbowljoe]

4 minutes ago, lcpfratn said:

To the OP, when reading anything from Joe regarding any Weller products, keep in my that the message is coming from a self-proclaimed Weller whore!

 This I can't deny. 

[lcpfratn]

 This I can't deny. [emoji14]

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[JoeTerp]

I've never been able to buy a bottle as I've never actually seen a bottle in the wild (I do live in a control state and VA hasn't listed this on there site, but rather in secret backrooms).  I was able to obtain and try a sample from someone else.  I thought it was perfectly good bourbon, but a little bit bland and it really didn't do much for me.  Definitely think it's way overhyped right now.  I would pick up a bottle if I saw it to have around, but there are others that I enjoy more.

[EarthQuake]

I had a pour of OWA in a bar and quite liked it. Then I bought a bottle and found it pretty underwhelming. Not bad, but not particularly good either, like 8/10. I got another bottle that was a store pick recently which is better but still not great, like 8.5/10. I'm coming to think that I just don't like wheaters that much. I'm not a fan of Maker's, even the cask strength that people rave about (again not terrible, but not very good either). I find Larceny to be very sweet and one dimensional. I've had Pappy 10 year at a bar once which I thought was good but nothing particularly exceptional, certainly not worth the cost. The one wheater I've had that I found to be quite good was the Parkers Heritage 13 year.

Edited September 16, 2017 by EarthQuake

[Radioyada]

I like the OWA myself, but the WSR is my mixing bourbon due to being able to find it fairly easily at a good price.  It could be a daily sipper, but there are several I like way better and just as easy to find around me.

[FasterHorses]

Well, glad to see im not completely crazy. Will need to give the grandpa weller 4 grain a try. And will try to give the OWA a little air. I'll hold out hope for the 12 but like I read somewhere else on here, think im just gonna mainly stick with the ones that ive enjoyed up til now. 

[fishnbowljoe]

28 minutes ago, FasterHorses said:

Well, glad to see im not completely crazy. Will need to give the grandpa weller 4 grain a try. And will try to give the OWA a little air. I'll hold out hope for the 12 but like I read somewhere else on here, think im just gonna mainly stick with the ones that ive enjoyed up til now. 

It's all good FH. Everyone has different tastes. Maybe give some new things a shot now and then, but drink and enjoy what you know you like. Above all, don't take things too seriously. As one member here once said a long time ago, "If you aren't having fun, you ain't doin' it right." 

 

Cheers! Joe

[FasterHorses]

Thanks Joe. Im havin a blast with it. I made a friend a couple weeks ago who soldme some ETL from the office in the back of the store. Got it for less than $50. Some times as much fun finding as it is drinkin it. She told me to come back next month..cant wait to see what that trip brings.

[fishnbowljoe]

29 minutes ago, FasterHorses said:

Thanks Joe. Im havin a blast with it. I made a friend a couple weeks ago who soldme some ETL from the office in the back of the store. Got it for less than $50. Some times as much fun finding as it is drinkin it. She told me to come back next month..cant wait to see what that trip brings.

 

Better watch your step there. She might take advantage of you in the back office.  Then again, that might not be a bad thing. 

[Paddy]

^^^^I find the current (post label change) WSR to be quite improved over the batches from a few years ago.  

 

I also find find this to only hold true if pouring neat, as it does not take added water well (IMO). 

 

For $17-19.99, one could do much worse.

[kevinbrink]

For the price they are pretty solid pours, I don't expect a religious experience out of a $23 bottle of OWA but I find it pretty damn versatile, great in a Manhattan, pretty nice to drink neat and even better with an ice cube or a few drops of water.

[Dango]

As a fairly new person to bourbon, I was able to quickly obtain all 3 Wellers. (12yr, SR, and 107) My first taste of SR and OWA were nothing special and a bit underwhelming, but I decided to not give up on them. After going back to them 2-3 times a week I did really develop a liking for them. I have said on other posts how I really didn't like the OWA and it was all fireball cinnamon tasting and hot. I still have not got past that statement, but what I have done is mixed the SR and the OWA and did find it to tone down the heat on the OWA. I also tried a mix with my last bit of 12yr and OWA and found it to be very tasty but prefer the 12yr on it own better, which I think is very tasty and worth finding.

 

The one bottle of 12 yr that I have finished to me tasted like burnt sugar, banana and a wet hay taste that I really enjoyed.

 

With all that being said I have emptied 1 bottle of each of the 3 Wellers and still have 1 12yr 2 SR and 3 OWA left. I did recently open a new SR and OWA and find I get more flavor out of them, and the 2nd bottle of OWA was a bit smoother, but I find they are not a multi dimensional tasting bourbons but they have a smooth taste and mouth feel I like. 

 

I have been wanting to start a thread on how interesting I find some bourbons taste differently with each day, and how when they are open for some time how they seem to get more depth. I have a 2009 EWSB that after being opened for a couple of months, now smells and tastes like salted peanuts, but when first opened I never got that flavor at all. 

 

For me I love how different bourbon can taste from day to day and bottle to bottle and with time. It keeps me in a continued state of fascination.