Old Weller Antique

Review by: TOModera

So it’s a milestone kinda week as such for me. I’ve reviewed all the “Beginner Drams” of Scotch, I’ve hit 200 scotch reviews, I’m about to hit 60 reviews of World Whiskies, and, most pertinent to this review, I’m about to hit 30 reviews of American Whisky, so that I’m more ‘merican.

What’s more special than a strong as wheater? Well, some would say the birth of children, traveling the world, meeting the love of your life… however if I reviewed some of those milestones, I’d be on fucking Facebook, and that place is depressing, so I’m hear, drinking and being happy.

Odd how that works out, eh? Anyway, today I’m reviewing Old Weller Antique. And why?

Well, to stop the messages I get saying “Hey, you reviewed 107? How’s this compare?” Because as much as I thought Buffalo Trace was a mile stick to compare, I’ve been asked about this one quite a bit.

Luckily for me, Lord-of-the-manor was okay swapping some 7 year old high proof nectar of the Buffalo’s, and thus I’m able to review this one, my (probably) second-to-last Weller review. Don’t act so sad, I can see through it, I ramble.

Anyway, enough of said rambling, let’s see how this much asked about dram tastes!

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Kentucky.

ABV: 53.5%.

Age: 7 years.

Cask type: New White American Oak.

Price: N/A in Ontario.

Color: Dark orange/brown.

Nose: Honey, roasted nuts, ginger, dark fruits, cherry, cola

I love honey. You can tell I’m the grandson of a bee-keeper, because I will drink that shit straight. I’m that asshole who goes to farms just to buy Buckwheat or Blueberry honey, No.1 Dark, because I need it.

Thus I’m biased on this one. However the honey note is just the initial smell, and eventually this turns to a nice, albeit a tad sweet, cherry cola or Doctor Pepper. Nice nose, overall.

Taste: Cola, cherry, anise, corn, nutmeg, slight vanilla, orange

There’s elements here I like and elements that trip me up a tad. It has a burn to it, yet that subsides after a little more time. Nice amount of sweetness, yet the corn note isn’t really fitting in well. Nice sweet notes, though I’d like a little more vanilla. And the orange takes a shite ton time to come out.

Balanced, almost. A tad too much sweetness. I like it though, nice smooth, good drinking dram.

Finish: Plums, nutmeg, wheat, corn syrup, dark caramel, raisin

Wow, that’s a pretty sweet finish. Deep, dark fruits. Would be perfect without that corn syrup note in it.

I’m consistently blown away by this wonderful dark fruit note that whiskeys have without finishes. Tells me this has a lot of quality.

Conclusion: Drink this for the long, tasty, dark fruit finish. The taste is pretty standard fare, and the nose is too, and both are well crafted. This is a nice sipping dram. Nothing overtly complex. I like this better than the Special Reserve, but only by a hair.

There are some down sides, though nothing game breaking. Add a little water or give it some time, and it opens up nicely into a smooth sipping whiskey.

Oh, and to answer everyone’s questions: Yes I enjoy this one, yes I’d recommend buying a bottle to always have on hand, yes I’ve had better whisk(e)y, no I don’t know how it compares to Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. And yes, I’m wearing pants… creeper.

Final Score: 83.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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