Buffalo Trace Distillery has honored Daniel Weller – the ‘forefather of American whiskey’ and grandfather to William Larue (WL) Weller, who was the first to sell a wheated bourbon in Kentucky – with a new range of bourbons showcasing wheat varieties. Buffalo Trace plans to launch a new limited edition entry every other year in […]
Buffalo Trace Distillery has honored Daniel Weller – the ‘forefather of American whiskey’ and grandfather to William Larue (WL) Weller, who was the first to sell a wheated bourbon in Kentucky – with a new range of bourbons showcasing wheat varieties. Buffalo Trace plans to launch a new limited edition entry every other year in the newly created series.
It was actually Daniel’s father, Johannes Weller, who started the Weller family on the pathway to the business when he originally distilled rye whiskey for currency, Daniel followed suit and when Daniel died in 1807, his son, Samuel, carried on the family pseudo-business before passing on to his son, William, who properly founded the alcohol wholesale business, WL Weller & Sons.
Buffalo Trace Distillery’s inaugural Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat bourbon was aged for nearly 12 years and made with Emmer wheat, [a ‘rare’ ancient Egyptian grain mainly used in beer and bread], bottled at 47% alcohol by volume [94 proof] and is said to offer notes of caramel, cinnamon, hazelnut, honey and orange zest.
Buffalo Trace Distillery Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat is being made available for $500 per 750ml bottle [which comes with a compass stopper that, once opened, reveals coordinates pinpointing the location of Daniel’s farm near Botland, Kentucky].
Back in September 2018 I wrote a blog about Daniel Weller, W.L. Weller’s grandfather, and at the end of the blog I suggested that Buffalo Trace should name a brand after him. Shortly thereafter, Mark Brown the CEO of Buffalo… Continue Reading →
Back in September 2018 I wrote a blog about Daniel Weller, W.L. Weller’s grandfather, and at the end of the blog I suggested that Buffalo Trace should name a brand after him. Shortly thereafter, Mark Brown the CEO of Buffalo... Continue Reading →
Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt… Read More
Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt since Glenglassaugh was revived in 2008, along with two no-age statement expressions.
Sandend gets its name from the nearby Sandend Bay, and is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and Manzanilla casks, and will carry a recommended retail price of £55 in the U.K. Portsoy gets its name from the village near the distillery, and also because it’s matured in Port wine casks along with Sherry and Bourbon casks. Portsoy will carry a recommended retail price of £60 in the U.K. The 12-year-old will carry a recommended retail price of £50 in the U.K. U.S. pricing and availability have not been announced.
Aberfeldy Distillery is expanding its Red Wine Cask Collection series with a 15 year old limited edition single malt. It’s been finished in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, and is available while supplies last for $69.99 a bottle in the U.S.
Beam Suntory is launching a new blended Scotch whisky. Ardray is a collaboration between Beam Suntory chief Scotch blender Calum Fraser and the Suntory whisky blending team in Japan. Ardray will be available initially in London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and New York with a recommended retail price of $80 a bottle, with plans to expand to other global markets in the coming months.
Ian Macleod Distillers is expanding the availability of its King Robert the Second blended Scotch range to the U.S. There are three different whiskies in the range with a no-age statement Treble Cask Matured blend, along with 12 and 15-year-old blends. Prices range from $14.99 for the Treble Cask to $28.99 for the 15-year-old.
Buffalo Trace is expanding its line of Weller Bourbons with a new experimental range named for Daniel Weller, the grandfather of William Larue Weller. The initial release is almost 12 years old, and was made with Emmer wheat, an ancient grain mainly used for bread and beer. There will be a new Daniel Weller wheated Bourbon every other year, but this year’s version is available in limited quantities at a recommended retail price of $499.99 a bottle.
New York’s Hudson Whiskey is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tuthilltown Distillery with a new 5-year-old straight Bourbon. It’s made from a mashbill of 95 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley, all supplied by Hudson Valley farmers, and will be available nationwide with a recommended retail price of $49.99 a bottle.
Ireland’s Killowen Distillery has released two single cask bottlings exclusively for the U-S market. One is a single pot still whiskey matured completely in a white Cognac cask using Killowen’s own distillate that will be priced at $106 a bottle. The second is a sourced whiskey from Cooley Distillery that was finished in a West Indies coconut rum cask and is priced at $69 a bottle.
Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt… Read More
Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt since Glenglassaugh was revived in 2008, along with two no-age statement expressions.
Sandend gets its name from the nearby Sandend Bay, and is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and Manzanilla casks, and will carry a recommended retail price of £55 in the U.K. Portsoy gets its name from the village near the distillery, and also because it’s matured in Port wine casks along with Sherry and Bourbon casks. Portsoy will carry a recommended retail price of £60 in the U.K. The 12-year-old will carry a recommended retail price of £50 in the U.K. U.S. pricing and availability have not been announced.
Aberfeldy Distillery is expanding its Red Wine Cask Collection series with a 15 year old limited edition single malt. It’s been finished in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, and is available while supplies last for $69.99 a bottle in the U.S.
Beam Suntory is launching a new blended Scotch whisky. Ardray is a collaboration between Beam Suntory chief Scotch blender Calum Fraser and the Suntory whisky blending team in Japan. Ardray will be available initially in London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and New York with a recommended retail price of $80 a bottle, with plans to expand to other global markets in the coming months.
Ian Macleod Distillers is expanding the availability of its King Robert the Second blended Scotch range to the U.S. There are three different whiskies in the range with a no-age statement Treble Cask Matured blend, along with 12 and 15-year-old blends. Prices range from $14.99 for the Treble Cask to $28.99 for the 15-year-old.
Buffalo Trace is expanding its line of Weller Bourbons with a new experimental range named for Daniel Weller, the grandfather of William Larue Weller. The initial release is almost 12 years old, and was made with Emmer wheat, an ancient grain mainly used for bread and beer. There will be a new Daniel Weller wheated Bourbon every other year, but this year’s version is available in limited quantities at a recommended retail price of $499.99 a bottle.
New York’s Hudson Whiskey is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tuthilltown Distillery with a new 5-year-old straight Bourbon. It’s made from a mashbill of 95 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley, all supplied by Hudson Valley farmers, and will be available nationwide with a recommended retail price of $49.99 a bottle.
Ireland’s Killowen Distillery has released two single cask bottlings exclusively for the U-S market. One is a single pot still whiskey matured completely in a white Cognac cask using Killowen’s own distillate that will be priced at $106 a bottle. The second is a sourced whiskey from Cooley Distillery that was finished in a West Indies coconut rum cask and is priced at $69 a bottle.
Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run… Read More
Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run… Read More
Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is Read More »
Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Buffalo Trace Distillery dropped a bombshell on the release world today with the news of its “Daniel Weller” Experimental Release. Per the brand, this is an experimental line of wheated bourbons exploring the impact of different strains of wheat, inspired by and named after the trailblazer of the Weller family. Daniel Weller is the grandfather […]
Buffalo Trace Distillery dropped a bombshell on the release world today with the news of its “Daniel Weller” Experimental Release. Per the brand, this is an experimental line of wheated bourbons exploring the impact of different strains of wheat, inspired by and named after the trailblazer of the Weller family.
Daniel Weller is the grandfather William Larue (W.L.) Weller. Inspired by Daniel’s pioneering spirit, Buffalo Trace Distillery plans to release one expression every other year as each experiment is deemed ready for bottling. The inaugural release focuses on Emmer wheat – an ancient Egyptian grain thought to be one of the first wheats utilized by humans that’s rarely seen in modern-day stills – a purposeful first experiment from the world’s original wheated bourbon.
Aged for nearly 12 years and bottled at 94 proof, the nose is fresh and nutty, with notes of orange zest, hazelnut, cinnamon and caramel; the palate a well-rounded blend of bold oak, sweet honey and orchard fruits with a complex oak-forward finish complemented by baking spice and leather notes.
The following copy is directly from today’s PRESS RELEASE by Sazerac:
While William Larue (W.L.) Weller’s place in whiskey history is widely known as one of the first to sell a “wheated” bourbon in Kentucky, his grandfather’s story has yet to be shared. After fighting in The Revolutionary War, Daniel Weller embarked on a flatboat voyage down the Ohio River with his wife and children, ultimately settling in Kentucky in 1794. Following in his father Johannes Weller’s footsteps, who distilled rye whiskey used as currency in early American barter economy, he soon began producing whiskey and leased his still to proprietors like Jacob Hirsch to supplement his income.
When Daniel passed away in 1807, he left no will, requiring his son Samuel to purchase his stills and equipment to continue the family legacy, which he would ultimately pass down to his son William Larue, founder of W.L. Weller & Sons.
The Daniel Weller experimental line is inspired by Daniel and his pioneering spirit, with plans to release one limited expression every other year, when each experiment is deemed ready for bottling by Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. The inaugural release is made with Emmer wheat, an ancient Egyptian grain that’s rarely seen in modern-day stills, and mainly used to make beer and bread. Archaeologists have found evidence of Emmer wheat domestication over 6,000 years ago, and its symbol is etched into the Egyptian pyramids.
“We began this experiment to see how one of the original, long-forgotten wheat strains would taste in our wheated bourbon,” says Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Master Distiller. “We’ve found it offers just a slightly – yet delightfully – different taste that brings us into a new bourbon territory. It will taste like Weller, but with distinct, unique notes that make it stand apart from the other Weller whiskies we’ve released to date.”
The mashbill is not the only variable in this experiment. It was distilled in the E.H. Taylor, Jr. Microstill, named after the father of the modern bourbon industry, which Harlen spent two years custom-designing. A combination pot and column still, the Microstill is both versatile and innovative, allowing the team to experiment with very small batches without interrupting main production capabilities.
“At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we are appreciative that many of our brands have found a place in whiskey culture and we continue to invest in making more whiskey to meet the demand. However, our motto is ‘Honor Tradition, Embrace Change’ because we believe the world’s best whiskey has not yet been created,” says Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director for Buffalo Trace Distillery. “We will continue to experiment with multiple variables that affect the final taste profile – grains, techniques, aging, barrels, and more – in pursuit of that ultimate goal. When an experiment ‘graduates’ to be released under a beloved brand like Weller, it’s a reflection of our confidence in the whiskey.”
In homage to Daniel’s pioneering journey, each release from the Daniel Weller series is packaged in a clear 750ml glass bottle with a unique compass stopper. Once opened, underneath the stopper one will find the coordinates pinpointing the location of Daniel’s farm near Botland, KY.
Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat will be rolling out in limited quantities to its distributor network, which will ship to select retailers, bars and restaurants across the United States as of June 2023 at a suggested retail price of $499.99 (750ml); state taxes will vary per market.
It joins the Weller lineup of Weller Special Reserve, Weller Antique 107, Weller 12 Year Old, Weller Full Proof, Weller C.Y.P.B. (“Craft Your Perfect Bourbon”), and Weller Single Barrel as well as William Larue Weller, which is released each fall as part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
