Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 92 |
| Style | Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 49.5% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $7,500.00 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2024-09-20 |
Weller Millennium Review
The Weller line of wheated bourbons just got a new, ultra-premium addition. And it’s technically not a bourbon at all.
Weller Millennium is a blend of straight bourbon and wheat whiskeys distilled at Buffalo Trace across four different years, the oldest of which went into the bottle at nearly a quarter of a century old. The breakdown by year and blend percentage is below:
- 2000 Vintage: 3 percent
- 2003 Vintage: 50 percent
- 2005 Vintage: 40 percent
- 2006 Vintage: 7 percent
Though Buffalo Trace has stated the release contains wheated bourbon, wheat whiskey, and wheated whiskey, the distillery did not give any more information regarding the blend breakdown or number of barrels used. As such, we also don’t know the exact release size for Weller Millennium (though according to the distillery, the bottles will be individually numbered).
This latest Weller is bottled at 99 proof, an homage to the turn of the last century. It comes with a handmade crystal decanter and illuminated display case. The suggested retail price: a cool $7,500.
Let’s see how this latest Weller whiskey — the first non-bourbon in the modern lineup — tastes.
Weller Millennium: Stats and Availability
We don’t know the exact release size for Weller Millennium, nor do we know how many barrels went into the blend (which would afford at least a rough estimate). According to Buffalo Trace, the bottling will have a limited release in the U.S. and globally starting in June 2024, as well as some distribution for bars and restaurants.
The suggested retail price is $7,500. Given the ultra premium, ultra collectible nature of this release and brand cachet behind both the Weller line and Buffalo Trace itself, I’d expect retail bottles to command a premium north of that MSRP (though it’s tough to guess the exact amount). Folks hoping to own complete full Weller lineups will now have to dig a lot deeper into their pocketbooks.
Weller Millennium Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
A pop of bright cherry leads on the nose, and it’s at first remarkably light given the significant age of some of this whiskey’s components; another fruit-forward scent is caramelized banana. That bright fruit is fleeting, and the nose quickly transitions to richly sweet and oak-forward aromas. Brandy-soaked raisins and sticky toffee pudding dominate. Clove-spiced molasses is up next, along with dried licorice root (which further buoys the wood influence).
More time in the glass — and as far as scents, this whiskey certainly develops in stages — brings on more “funky” sweetness, reminiscent of bourbon from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It’s a tough element to describe, with damp earthiness and gentle decaying leaves intermingled with intensely oaky wood sugars and black treacle.
Though Weller Millennium's ABV is a clear nod to the whiskey’s backstory, 99 proof feels about right on the nose; the ethanol never overpowers any specific aromas and provides just enough heat to carry the oak. There’s rare depth and balance here, the nose firing on multiple cylinders at all points and phases, even as oxygen does its transformative work.
The best nosing whiskeys can mentally transport us back to the source, as if we’re smelling or tasting directly from the casks themselves. With Weller Millenium, I’m reminded of walking into a barrel warehouse, if not quite fully teleported.
Taste
I liked the nose for that initial hit of fresh fruit. On first sip, the palate leans fully into wood (no surprise, given the producer’s descriptions and stated goals). Oaky, sweet, and fatty, the first flavor is akin to — and forgive me here for the visual — barrel-aged vanilla buttercream.
The whiskey is lightly tannic, with medium viscosity, coating the tongue in a thin layer of leather, with barely-there hints of dark raisins and figs. A small amount of black cherry is present, but nowhere near as vibrant as early on the nose. Flat cola is another early but very much secondary flavor carried throughout.
Dark chocolate and toffee build along the midpalate and, along with faintly drying oak, really form the main event here. (Fans of Heath candy bars might especially enjoy this dram.)
After a few more sips, licorice root leads the back and sides of the tongue, a nearly direct port from the nose. The taste is sweet, yes, but also woody and a bit bitter, as if you’re nibbling on the wood itself. That creates a unique transition from palate to finish, one that veers significantly away from the sweetness I anticipated given the nose and initial taste. It’s a palate to sit with — and one I expect might polarize the rare few who actually get to sample this whiskey.
Finish
The finish brightens up a bit, that bitterness dissipating for more vanilla, caramel, and dried fruit (again, figs and raisins, with some acidic dried pineapple and grapefruit). Damp leather and dried oak are the last flavors that linger on the back palate, a final dual calling card for this whiskey’s highly aged blend.
Weller Millennium Rating
92/100
Recap
Weller Millennium features one of the richer, more captivating noses I’ve encountered on any recent whiskey release (American or otherwise). That’s likely a testament to some of the highly-aged components and particular nuances of wheat as a highlight grain. The whiskey itself doesn’t taste quite as vibrant as it smells, and the oak influence becomes just slightly more drying than I would have liked.
Overall, it’s a unique dram that’s difficult to compare to anything else on the market today. I do hope some of these bottles get opened and enjoyed — and I pray those with significant means will share the experience with others.
*Image retrieved from Buffalo Trace Distillery
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