- $120
- 124.7 Proof
- 12 years, 8 months
- 2022
- Kentucky
It's always weird writing reviews of products like the Pappy or BTAC lines. After all, it's not as though someone presented with the opportunity to purchase a bottle from either line at retails is going to say, "Hold on, let me check out reviews first." For the most part, anyone is going to simply buy. So, writing a review doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as people are just going to come to their own conclusion anyway.
But, I've always maintained that I don't write these blog posts for that purpose. Rather, this has very much been my own personal journal of my whiskey journey for the past ten years (it's crazy that I've been doing this for ten years now!!). So, while it's a foregone conclusion that yes, of course this good, and while nobody is consulting this page before making the decision to buy a 2022 William Larue Weller, I'm writing this up nonetheless for no other reason than that I finally finished my bottle!
On the nose the most immediate note I got was oak. The barrel certainly had a significant influence here. However, behind that I got all the traditional notes I've come to expect, with a good amount of rich caramel and vanilla, as well as a surprising amount of cinnamon spice. I don't typically get that much spice off a wheater, but I certainly did here. There was also a sort of a graham cracker or even a shortbread note that seemed to lurk in the background.
The flavor, again, was more spice forward than I expected. But that certainly wasn't a bad thing in my book. In fact, it provided a great blend of sweet and spice, as the caramel and vanilla notes were right up front, followed almost immediately by a cinnamon spice that seemed to coat the tongue and mouth.
As that subsided, though, it gave way to many of the sweeter notes you'd expect. I definitely got a cherry note, like a maraschino cherry that gave off Old Fashioned vibes. At times that rich, dark fruit note leaned more towards chocolate covered raisins, and even seemed to bounce back and forth between the flavors.
As I got to the finish, the cinnamon note remained, though it wasn't strong. The cherry note continued, and the oak I was getting on the nose finally made its way through. But what really seemed to press forward on the finish was the rich vanilla note, which started small and by the time I swallowed each sip seemed to get big. That finish of vanilla, oak, cinnamon and cherry had me wanting more and more after each sip.
Again, you knew this would be good coming in, so the grade is no surprise. The only reason it didn't get the "A+" grade is I've had other W.L. Weller's that I feel like really knocked my socks off, moreso than this one. But make no mistake, I absolutely loved this bottle.
Grade: A
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