Old Weller Antique - Taste Above its Price

Old Weller Antique  (Original 107 Brand) Bourbon proves that sometimes, you get more than what you pay for.

Don't let the plastic cap (no pretentious cork here) fool you. The 107-proof whiskey inside compares well with brands that cost significantly more at your local liquor store.

Weller is a brand that has moved around a lot over the years. Currently, Weller is owned by the Sazerac Company, the largest distiller in the US. The Weller whiskies are among the dizzying array of bourbons pouring out of the  Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

The bottle comes with no age statement, but the Buffalo Trace Website claims that Old Weller Antique is aged 7 years. At 107 proof, it's effectively cask strength.

Old Weller Antique's claim to distinctiveness is the amount of wheat used in the grain bill of the mash.

Since it's a bourbon, by law the grain bill has to be at least 51% corn - it can be more. In most bourbons, the non-corn portion is filled out with rye and barley.

Old Weller is one of a class of bourbons that replace the rye with wheat. These bourbons lose the spicy, peppery counterpoint of rye and replace it with the softer, sweeter flavors that come from wheat.

In the glass, Old Weller Antique is  lovely medium amber. The nose is sweetish with hints of vanilla and subdued alcohol, but otherwise simply says: "I'm bourbon."

Sipped straight, it has a medium heavy mouthfeel. It's sweet, with caramel and vanilla notes. The sweet fades to a pleasant alcohol burn that is far less pronounced that the 53.5% alcohol content would lead you to expect. In turn, the burn fades to a long, lingering glow featuring sweet flavors balanced with oaky spiciness.

Add a good splash of water, and the alcohol disappears from the nose, replaced by caramel.  The flavor palate changes some: the corn sweetness and wheat sweetness become discernible as separate flavors amidst the caramel and vanilla, the oak notes become more pronounced,  and the alcohol burn diminishes. The finish loses some potency, fading quickly to a subdued sweet glow on the taste buds that lingers a little and then disappears.

Is this my absolute favorite bourbon? No - but it's damn good, and to my taste buds, better than the most famous American mass market whiskeys and some of the ultrapremium bourbons (such as Knob Creek) and as good as some others (such as Basil Hayden's).

The kicker is the price. As I write this, Old Weller Antique is running between $20 and $28 a bottle, depending on locale. Regardless of locale, it's $5-$15 less per bottle than bourbons I consider to be in the same taste class.

If you like bourbon, you definitely need to give Old Weller Antique a try. Priced where it is, it makes for a great, no guilt, every day sipping whiskey. It's got a permanent home on my bar.

Ardbeg Uigeadail - Pure Awesome

 

I'll cut to the chase. If you find a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail at a liquor store, buy it, and put it in your liquor cabinet. Or buy it, and send it to me. But buy it.

If you need to know more than that, read on ...

If I had to choose to only drink one whisky for the rest of my life, I'd go with Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced Oog-A-Dal). It's got an astonishingly rich, complex set of flavors that one can sip and savor for hours.

Despite being technically a single malt scotch- in other words, the product of a single scottish distillery where the grain bill consists of 100% barely malt, aged for at least 3 years in Scotland - Uigeadail is a testament to the art of vatting (marrying) different expressions to achieve something new and wonderful. It's also named after the lock (lake) that provides water to the Ardbeg distillery.

A brief aside, for context, is in order at this point. Ardbeg is an Islay scotch  - it hails from the Isle of Islay, off the southwestern coast of Scotland. Islay scotches are known for their peatiness, and Ardbeg is part of the monster peat triumvirate along the southeastern coast of Islay: Laphroig and Lagavulin are the other two. Other Islay scotches are peaty, but these three define the outer edge of peatiness.

Of further interest, is the modern history of Ardbeg. Once upon a time, the signature distillery bottling (at least in the US) was Ardbeg 17-year-old. However, the distillery was closed from 1981-1989, and open only 2 months a year for distilling from 1989-1996, and then closed again in 1996. It was bought by Glenmorangie in 1997 and slowly put back into full production.

The upshot of the production interruptions is that the standard Ardbeg expression available, at least in the US, became Ardbeg 10-year-old, and 17-year-old disappeared from the shelves. On a more speculative note, that production interruption and the resulting lack of stock may be part of the reason why the reborn Ardbeg has been so experimental, and why many of it's special expressions don't carry age statements.

Which wraps us back to Uigeadail. Ardbeg is traditionally aged in used bourbon barrels. Uigeadail is a mix of Ardbeg whisky aged in used sherry casks and Ardbeg whisky aged in used bourbon barrels. It's bottled pretty much at cask strength - 54.2% alcohol, 108.4 proof- and comes with no age statement.

And this is where the magic happens, The standard Ardbeg 10-year is a big, raw, brawling whisky that takes your tongue out to the woodshed and beats it into submission. And that's after being watered down to 92 proof for bottling, and likely more in you glass. It's a love it or hate it dram.

Uigeadail is a different beast. People who hate the standard Ardbeg find Uigeadail to be enchanting (based on actual experience serving the same set of folks both Ardbegs on consecutive nights).

The peat, the iodine, and the sea are still there, but the addition of the sherry-cask-aged spirit rounds them off with sweet notes and rich counterpoints. This is still an imposing dram, but instead of delivering a back-yard beat down to your taste buds, it simply sweeps them away into a another world of savory flavors dancing with sweet, smoke intertwining with sherry, and leaves them satiated, a little breathless, and yet still wanting another sip and another dance.

In the glass, Uigeadail is a dark red, amber. It promises depth, which it will deliver in spades.

Straight up - well I don't drink this straight up. I always add water, and a bit more than a splash, but never more than 25% of the whisky in the initial pour. Because when you add water, Uigeadail truly reveals its wonders.

For me. the nose (bouquet, aroma) is wonderful mix of peat and ocean water, blended with sherry notes.

In my mouth, Uigeadail feels rich and full and a touch oily (but not unpleasantly so). It has weight and presence - a hefty spirit, as opposed to a light one. To me, the flavors are tantalizing and stunningly balanced mix of peat, iodine, seawater, smoke, sweet sherry, and a hint of thick honey.

Uigeadail has a long, smokey, finish that lingers and lingers and lingers. You can easily savor it 15 minutes or more after finishing your dram.

Uigeadail runs $70 - $80 in the US, and is worth every penny. This has a permanent place of honor in my liquor cabinet.

 

 

 

 

 

Knob Creek Rye

Rye is a new type of whiskey for me. Before Prohibition, rye was the go-to American whisky - many of the cocktails we associate with bourbon today where invented with rye.

Long eclipsed by bourbon, rye is making a comeback in the American distilling scene. Lots of distillers, big and small, are producing rye whiskies, and the number you can find on the shelf of your local liquor store is steadily increasing.

What differentiates rye from bourbon? The main (51% or better) grain in the mash recipe. Bourbon is at least 51% corn, rye is at least 51% rye.

In general, what you get from the switch to majority rye is a spicier whiskey, drier, with punchier flavors, even a little peppery.

Which bring me to this week's dram, Knob Creek Rye. The label claims small batch and patiently aged, but includes no age statement. It's offered at 100 proof, which means it's not been watered down much from cask strength.

In the glass it is a lovely dark amber. To my nose, the bouquet is sweet, with a spicy and definitely alcoholic punch. WIth a splash of water, the alcoholic aroma recedes.

Sipped straight, there's spice and some sweet and then the burn of alcohol. This is not a whiskey that will sneak up on you.

I prefer this with a splash of water. The alcohol burns recedes, and more of the peppery spiciness balanced by corn sweetness (it's definitely not a 100% rye mash) comes out. It still has bite, but it sips so much more pleasantly.

I don't generally drink cocktails, but other reviewers have rate it as good for mixing.

My personal rating is that this is a solid rye whiskey. If you like rye, it's worth trying. Definitely drinkable, and it makes a solid addition to one's bar.

That said, it's unlikely that this will continue to have a place on my bar, once this bottle has been finished. I have found other ryes I like more, or that are as good, but cheaper.

Here in NC, this is  $40 for 750ml bottle. Not bad, but I'd like it more if it were a $30 bottle.

Whisky, Whiskey and Beer

Join me as I search for the perfect scotch, bourbon, rye and other whiskies, as well as excellent beer. There'll be occasional side trips to other distilled spirits and drinks, as well, but expect me to stick with what I know, like and have overstocked my liquor cabinet with.