How To Date Identify Vintage Whiskey Bottles Identify Vintage And Collectible Bourbon And Rye Bottles

These terms greatly impact the final flavor profile of the liquor. Part of the brand’s sheen is due to Weller technically being the same base whiskey as the Old Van Winkle line , which is the most after bourbon there is. Weller is now a very hard-to-get and often very expensive bourbon whiskey to buy. The suggested retail price for every bottle in the Weller line is often exceeded by a factor of 10 or 20 on the aftermarket. I haven’t seen a 350, perhaps you meant either a 750ml or a 375ml? The only way I could answer your question is with a ‘No’ and a ‘Yes’.

I was once told by Preston Van Winkle that the sale of the distillery was forced by other members of the gens Van Winkle outside of the direct “Julian” line. Whether this is fact or represents a bit of ex-post reputation burnishing, I am unable to say with any certainty. Regardless, the die was cast and the family lost control of the source of their bourbon.

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I can’t make it out at all, but on the opposite side is a 15. Ok, here are a few Liter bottles, for comparison to WsmataU’s 1L ’96. Embossed number on the bottom of the glass is 03. This topic has been inactive for at least 365 days, and is now closed. Either way, I was happy to pick this up for $35 as I enjoy OWA as a daily option, but I don’t think I have ever had this with an age statement and am curious to see if it will be any different. Export out of U.S. – Blue Strip – Not all exports used blue strips.

It just allows us to tap into different things as we think about it or drink it. Sazerac has been very consistent with their “the recipe hasn’t changed and it’s 7 year old” narrative. All of this is what I’ve surmised; happy to be corrected by any readers out there who have better information? In the world of American whiskey, Sazerac seems to be brightest, as well as one to watch out for the most.

Despite this, I still find Antique 107 to be my personal favorite, followed by 12 Year, C.Y.P.B., and finally Special Reserve in a distant last place. Given the demand for these products, it is important to realize that C.Y.P.B., like the rest of the Weller lineup, is a quality bourbon but still not worth losing your mind over. This holds especially true as we have seen demand for Weller bourbons skyrocket in recent years. Noticeably sweet up front, the initial burst of flavors is comprised of peaches, butterscotch, vanilla, caramel, and a hint of citrus. A moderate amount of aged oak rounds out the backend, providing just enough intensity to hint towards the bourbon’s age. The flavors are nicely balanced, making for a well-developed and very pleasant sip.

The details around the presence of Stitzel-Weller back-stock in Van Winkle collection bourbons is ambiguous at best, and some reliable sources have contradicted themselves occasionally. What we do know is that the last juice was distilled in or before 1992, and came over to Buffalo Trace Distillery a decade later in 2002. Depending on the age of the Pappy you have and the year it was bottled, there’s a chance it could have some Stitzel-Weller in it.

C.Y.P.B. is a limited edition release, and Buffalo Trace has indicated they will only release one batch per year. It’s also a wheated bourbon, which is the less popular of the secondary grains compared to rye, however as more and more wheated bourbons come to market this trait has become less notable. All of this is presented with what I would describe as the more balanced of the Weller lineup, but not necessarily the most exciting. To that end, the asking price is more than fair. The majority of respondents chose a wheated bourbon recipe, aged for eight years on the top floor of the rickhouse, and then bottled somewhere between proof.

This doesn’t seem to have applied to red strips. Plenty of good $30 bourbons these days have five- or six- year age statements. David Morrow is the managing editor of Whiskey Raiders and has been with the company since September 2021. David has worked in journalism since 2015 and has had bylines at Sports Illustrated, Def Pen, the Des Moines Register and the Quad City Times. David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Saint Louis University and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Old W.L. Weller Special Reserve Bonded, Pint, 1947-1955

We have attempted to compile a list of all of the allocated bottles we could think of in 2019 and break it down so that you could get an idea what the 3 different prices are for a bottle of allocated whiskey. Some bottles of bourbon are all about power, this is about subtle, elegant grace. The nose mixes fresh and dried fruit, with singlesfifty notes of dried … During the 13-year ban on alcohol production, sale, and distribution in the United States, Old Fitzgerald was one of the few brands permitted to continue distilling its whiskey for medicinal use. Treasury gave authorization to physicians to write prescriptions advising regular doses of alcohol to their patients.

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The ‘02’ or ‘03 release just has more to it in terms of complexity and longer-lasting flavor. While you were reading whatever was above, I was putting on my tinfoil hat. Well, my open-mindedness easily leads me to tackle brand loyalty—another kind of metaphorical wall.

We all know how this story ends, and it’s hard to pity the Van Winkles too much. They’re majority holders in a partnership producing a suite of bourbons that have no equal among American whiskeys in terms of their desirability and resultant scarcity. They’ve become the type of whiskey that people who know nothing about whiskey know about, perhaps in the manner of Scotch and Johnnie Walker Blue Label. I’m musing glumly on this sorry tale because today’s whiskey comes from 1973, the year after the Stitzel-Weller distillery was sold to Norton-Simon. This transition marked the beginning of a multi-decade process of decline for Stitzel-Weller, culminating in the closure of the distillery by then-owners United Distillers in 1992. Diageo currently owns the Stitzel-Weller building, which is being used as the visitor center for the Bulleit brand of sourced whiskey; no distilling is occurring there.

In 2014, the average price of Weller 12’s on the legal market was $47. In 2019 it was $238, according to the site’s data. This price, by measure of the bourbon inside, is nothing short of pure insanity. While other factors noted above will contribute to this demand, C.Y.P.B. is at best, an above-average bourbon with a nicely developed flavor profile that will please many.

The lighter spices and sweeter notes are more welcoming. A wheated bourbon with a full-bodied flavor and a balanced palate. Old Weller Antique is bottled at 107 proof, offering a complex taste and bold finish. It’s certainly a recognizable member of the Weller label, with its own unique characteristics to compliment the high proof. This wheated bourbon is aged over 12 years, resulting in high alcohol content, amazing tasting notes, and a smooth finish. These days, it’s about as hard to find as Jack’s Lounge or Joy Perrine.

Technically, today it retails for around $30, but good luck finding it on a liquor store shelf. If you’re looking to get into the wheated bourbon game, then grab a bottle of Weller Antique 107. It’s the best of the mix of what’s still hitting shelves these days. Plus, if you can get it at MSRP (which you can!), you’ll be in for a killer Manhattan, Sazerac, or old fashioned this month. Buffalo Trace doesn’t publish any of their mash bills.