Description

Daniel Weller

Daniel Weller, launched in 2023, is an experimental line examining the impact of new wheat strains on its famous bourbons, inspired by and named after the Weller family’s founder. This exciting expansion of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s original wheated bourbon brand honors a forefather of American whiskey(Daniel Weller ), Daniel Weller – grandfather to William Larue Weller – and the family distilling traditions he passed down to the generations of whiskey pioneers who followed him.

The first batch is brewed from Emmer wheat, an ancient Egyptian grain that is infrequently found in modern stills.

The aroma is fresh and nutty, with notes of orange zest, hazelnut, cinnamon, and caramel, and the palate is a well-rounded blend of robust oak, sweet honey, and orchard fruits, with a complex oak-forward finish accented by baking spice and leather notes.

DANIEL WELLER’S BIO
While William Larue (W.L.) Weller is well-known for being one of the first to market “wheated” bourbon in Kentucky, his grandfather’s story has yet to be told. Daniel Weller sailed down the Ohio River with his wife and children after participating in the Revolutionary War, eventually settling in Kentucky in 1794.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Johannes Weller, who distilled rye whiskey used as currency in the early American barter system, he soon began making whiskey and leased his still to proprietors such as Jacob Hirsch to supplement his income.

When Daniel died in 1807, he left no will, requiring his son Samuel to acquire the family stills and equipment, which he would eventually hand down to his son William Larue, founder of W.L. Weller & Sons.

The Daniel Weller experimental line is inspired by Daniel and his pioneering spirit, with plans to produce one limited expression every other year, when Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley deems each experiment ready for bottling.

TASTE NOTES(Daniel Weller, daniel wells )

Nose: New and nutty, with orange zing, hazelnut, cinnamon, and caramel notes.

Taste: A well-balanced blend of powerful oak, sweet honey, and plantation organic products.

Finish: A mind-blowing oak-forward finish with baking zest and leather aromas.

Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat honors Daniel’s pioneering spirit while introducing a new spin on wheated bourbon. Daniel Weller will have one release every two years in extremely restricted(daniel wells) quantities. Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley made the distillate in the E.H. Taylor Jr. Microstill using Emmer wheat, an ancient crop found etched into Egyptian pyramids. This smaller device combines a pot still and a column still, allowing for smaller whiskey runs without disrupting the main production flow.

Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat has been matured for little under 12 years and is bottled at 94 proof, a tribute to Daniel’s arrival in Kentucky in the year he was born. That proof(Daniel Weller )isn’t far off from Weller 12 Year’s 90 proof, nor Weller Special Reserve (also bottled at 90), yet it tastes completely different.

Emmer wheat has a more earthy, rustic aroma. Orange zest and hazelnut will be detected by refined nostrils, while the luscious caramel will be appreciated by all olfactory senses.

On the tongue, it’s looser than Weller 12, with a peppery flavor that could be mistaken for rye or attributed to the higher proof. Then you get a good dose of oak before it transitions into the soft honey sweetness you’ve come to anticipate from Weller. On the back end, I get a trace of salted caramel before the baking spice notes return for a medium-long finish(Daniel Weller ).

It’s a delightful and distinct pour that checks all the(daniel wells) boxes for a strong experimental release: evocative of its forefathers while innovating on them(Daniel Weller ).