As I mentioned in my previous posts, I’ve got huge backlog of samples that I am trying to work through before the end of the year. In that stockpile were a couple of different single barrel store selections of Old Weller Antique. I’ve got a few different selections of Old Weller Antique in my bunker as well and since I’ve never officially reviewed any of them before I thought it would make a fun shootout.
I should preface this shootout with the fact that I am big fan of Old Weller Antique and so is my local whiskey group. At one point we had to ban it from our blind tastings because every time it was submitted it crushed the competition. For me, Old Weller Antique has a extremely distinctive sweet and spicy cinnamon profile that when combined with its decent age and great proof make it an attractive combo especially given the low retail price.
Here are the candidates, all of which will be tasted blind.
- 2014 bottling, no age statement: The current off-the-shelf bottling that you can buy in stores today.
- 2008 bottling, aged 7 year: An older, age stated “paper label” bottling but still distilled by Buffalo Trace in Frankfort.
- Single Barrel selected by Red Dog Wine & Spirits: A single barrel selected by a local store who usually make very good selections.
- Single Barrel selected by McScooges: A single barrel selected by a Knoxville, Tn store who also usually make very good selections. Thanks to @bourbonooga for the sample.
- Single Barrel selected by Lincoln Road: Another store known for having great single barrels. Thanks to /u/thomasemanski for the sample.
- 2014 Pappy Van Winkle 15 year: Same Buffalo Trace mashbill/distillate and same proof but aged much longer. This is the control sample to keep me on my toes.
And now the results, from worst to first. My notes are those recorded before I made the reveal.
6th place: 2014 Pappy Van Winkle 15 year
Notes: The nose is very dark and tannic with very little sweets. I also get a light chemical note, like wood varnish. The taste mimics the nose, with a lot of woodiness up front, a little bit of darker sweets in the middle but that chemical/bitter off-note is still slightly there even in the finish. There is hardly any spice to this one until you get to the finish. This is really bitter compared to the rest which makes it pretty obvious to me that it’s probably the PVW. On its own I might like this better but compared to the others there’s just not enough sweet to balance out all the bitterness.
Rating: 82/100
5th place: 2014 bottling, No Age Statement
Notes: The nose is rather fruity with a bit of new make notes which makes me think it is on the young side. The taste lines up with that pretty well as the mash notes are noticeable. The typical cinnamon spice is in there as well and pretty heavy handed. It finishes with some dark sweets, some tannic tea notes, and lots of spice. A good bourbon but not my favorite in this lineup. The youngness makes me guess this is probably the NAS/current bottling or a store select.
Rating: 83/100
4th place: Red Dog Selected Single Barrel
Notes: Smells spicy and sweet with the woodiness of a middle aged bourbon. The taste is fairly spicy, with lots of cinnamon through the whole range of the palate. There are some light fruit notes that indicate a bit of youngness. The finish lingers with lots of sweet spice. A nice bourbon but a bit too much of a spice bomb. I’m guessing this the current bottling or secondarily a store select.
Rating: 83/100
3rd place: Lincoln Road Selected Single Barrel
Notes: Less spice, a touch more alcohol, and less wood on the nose here though the sweetness is still there. On the taste the cinnamon spice is really dialed back allowing the wood and sweets to come through more. The finish isn’t a total spicefest either and has some nice darker cocoa. This one is a bit sweet but overall it’s well balanced as the wheat/wood spice don’t dominate too much.
Rating: 84/100
2nd place: McScrooges Selected Single Barrel
Notes: The nose is pretty basic - smells sweet and woody like a good middle aged bourbon. The taste mostly mimics the nose but tastes a little older than a lot of the pack. Light honey and vanilla sweets up front, some darker sweets in the middle, then finally some bitter tannic notes and light spice in the finish. It’s a well rounded bourbon - not too sweet, not to spicy, and not too bitter. This would be my second choice for being the PVW because it tastes older than most of the others.
Rating: 85/100
1st place: 2008 bottling, Aged 7 years
Notes: Smells like vanilla cake batter. The taste is similar with honey graham crackers, cake batter, a little fruity new make, and just a touch of cinnamon in the finish along with some nice dark sweets. Softer but pretty balanced compared to the rest with some nice depth. Having killed nearly a 1.75 liter of this, I’m guessing this is the 2008 paper label.
Rating: 87/100
Final Thoughts
I’m both surprised and not surprised by these results. I thought I liked 2014 Pappy Van Winkle 15 year alright so I am really surprised it tanked in this. There were lots of complaints about the 2014 being overly bitter and tannic and I can’t argue with those now. Compared to the other whiskeys in this lineup it didn’t stand a chance as it was just horribly out of balance towards the bitter side. In hindsight this was probably a terrible comparison - I am guessing in a older lineup it would do better.
Apart from that, the rest of the lineup shook out about how I expected. It seems to be the general consensus in the community that most of the store selected bottlings are a little better than the off-the-shelf product. No real surprise that the older 2008 took the crown - having finished off nearly a whole handle of it I knew it was really good whiskey and it’s a shame the current no age statement bottling doesn’t quite stack up.
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