Buffalo Trace Reveals Weller Millennium, a $7,500 Ultra-Aged Whiskey
On Thursday, Buffalo Trace Distillery added a one-of-a-kind bottling to its portfolio: Weller Millennium, an ultra-aged wheated whiskey distilled at the turn of the 21st century.
The whiskey is a blend of vintage straight bourbon and wheat whiskies distilled in 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006, all of which were aged at the brand’s distillery in Frankfort, Ky. According to a press release, the early aughts were a period of change for the brand, one that inspired its distillation team to look to the past. To pay homage to W.L. Weller, the original wheated bourbon brand, they reserved some of the first whiskeys distilled in the new millennium explicitly to formulate this release.
“In the 1840s, William Larue Weller created a legendary legacy by being one of the first to use wheat as an ingredient, establishing Weller as the World’s Original Wheated Bourbon,” said Andrew Duncan, Buffalo Trace Distillery’s global brand director in the release. “Having patiently waited for these exceptional whiskies to mature to our standard, we are pleased to introduce Weller Millennium as the brand’s pinnacle expression. This world-class expression captures the spirit of the incredible optimism felt at the turn of the millennium, while charting a path to the future as a globally-celebrated wheated brand.”
The four early-aughts distillations make up 3 percent, 50 percent, 40 percent, and 7 percent of the blend, respectively. According to the brand, Weller Millennium highlights the influences of wheat on whiskey’s flavor, with the grain imparting a sweeter, smoother, and perhaps more approachable spirit.
“As we are in constant pursuit of making the world’s best whiskey, we often hold back small lots of barrels to continue aging beyond our typical brand standards in hope that this aging experimentation will result in a particular well-balanced, matured whiskey,” said Buffalo Trace Distillery’s master distiller Harlen Wheatley in the release. “In this case, we found the whiskey distilled in 2000 to show incredible balance and asked ourselves how wheat would perform as an ultra aged spirit. It’s proven to be an impeccable backbone to this expression, allowing us to showcase wheat’s versatility and innovate beyond traditional wheated bourbon.”
On the nose, the brand says that Weller Millennium conveys strong caramel and toffee notes due to years of contact with oak barrels during maturation. There are some subtle fruit aromas there, too, with hints of fig and raisin and a whisper of stone fruit throughout. A similar palate follows with sweet caramel notes before finishing with notable oak influence.
Bottled at 99 proof (49.5 percent ABV) the whiskey is housed in a handmade crystal decanter closed with a custom-made crystal topper that’s hand-etched with the Weller brand’s original “W” stamp. The bottle comes encased in an illuminated display box that denotes the exact percentages of the whiskey’s blend.
Weller Millennium will be released in limited quantities across the U.S. and global distributor networks, and will be shipped to retailers, bars, and restaurants in June 2024 for a suggested retail price of $7,500.
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