Apple bread | Cinnamon | Oak | Vanilla powder | Faint red berries | Light leather | Hint of tobacco leaf

Baking spices | Leather | Spiced caramel | Breakfast syrup | Dried vanilla | Oak

Oak | Baking spices | Vanilla powder | White peppercorn spice | Lingering heat

The lone wheated bourbon in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, William Larue Weller is known for sitting at the top of the Weller family tree. This year’s release comes in similar to the proof and age of last year’s edition, however, the sip it delivers diverges greatly. Variation year to year is never a bad thing; in fact, it’s what makes each bottle in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection so interesting. However, that can be a double-edged sword, especially when a given year doesn’t reach the high standard that consumers of the brand have come to expect.

For being almost 130 proof, the bourbon comes across as more gentle than you’d expect. The nose reveals a lighter, fainter aroma, with a focus on kitchen and earthier scents. The midpoint pulls in oak and vanilla that are coated in a drizzle of breakfast syrup and topped with spices. The finish is more straightforward, focusing on core flavor notes of oak, vanilla powder, and spices, ending on a lingering heat.

The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is meant to wow, with the distillery highlighting some of its best releases of the year. In the case of William Larue Weller, the bourbon is good, delivering pleasing flavors that are easily manageable considering the proof. However, unlike past releases, this year’s edition is more straightforward. While there’s nothing wrong with that, and the sip is certainly enjoyable, consumers will most likely be hoping for more, especially if this is the only bottle from the collection that they’re able to obtain this year.