About the product
William Larue Weller is a premium Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey representing the 2025 release from Buffalo Trace Distillery. This highly sought-after expression showcases the craftsmanship and heritage of one of America's most respected distilleries. Known for its rich complexity and smooth finish, this bourbon delivers notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak with a balanced palate. Perfect for collectors and bourbon enthusiasts seeking a distinguished addition to their collection. Limited availability makes this a prized release for serious whiskey connoisseurs.
Tasting Profile & Food Pairings
Tasting Notes
- Nose: An "extravagant" bouquet of caramel corn, new leather, and pipe tobacco, with deep notes of vanilla bean, maple syrup, and dark plums.
- Palate: Full-bodied and velvety. It leads with marshmallow and salted almonds, transitioning into fig, dates, and nougat, with a touch of dark chocolate and baking spices.
- Finish: Long, composed, and "flavorfully sweet." It lingers with a smooth honey-wheat grain character and a gentle, warming hint of toasted oak.
Food Pairings
- Savory: Foie Gras with Fig Jam. The rich, fatty liver and sweet fruit jam are the perfect structural matches for the oily, high-proof wheated bourbon.
- Cheese: Aged Gouda with Honey. The crunchy salt crystals in the Gouda highlight the salted almond and caramel notes in the WLW.
- Sweet: Sticky Toffee Pudding or Maple Pecan Pie. These desserts mirror the heavy maple, toffee, and date flavors found in the 2025 vintage.
- The "Neat" Rule: Despite being 129 proof, this bourbon is famous for "drinking soft." Try it neat first to experience the full oiliness, then add two drops of water to explode the fruit and floral notes.
About the brand
The brand is named after William Larue Weller (1825–1899), the distiller credited with being the first to produce straight bourbon using wheat instead of rye in the mash bill. W.L. Weller famously hired a young salesman named Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr., who eventually took over the company. Today, WLW shares the same wheated mash bill as the famous Pappy Van Winkle line, but is bottled at a much higher proof and older age than the standard Weller 12.
