Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of dining at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the two Michelin-starred farm-to-table restaurant featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table.” While that is cause enough for celebration, I was there to be among the first to taste, Weller Millenium, a first-of-its-kind, ultra-aged whiskey from Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Described as a “category-redefining innovation” the expression is a blend of vintage straight wheated bourbon and wheat whiskeys that were distilled in the early 2000’s and matured at the distillery for various lengths of time.
As the third oldest operating distillery in the world, Buffalo Trace Distillery was amid a period of transformation once again and looked to its forebearers for inspiration. The distillation team chose to pay homage to W.L. Weller by setting aside some of the first whiskeys distilled in the new millennium for the sole purpose of creating this innovation.
“At Buffalo Trace Distillery, our motto is ‘Honor Tradition, Embrace Change,’ says Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller. “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 particularly well-balanced, matured whiskey. 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.”
A blend of vintage straight bourbon and wheat whiskeys distilled in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006, Weller Millenium highlights the impact wheat has on the whiskey’s flavor: the softness imparted by the wheat creates a smoother, sweeter, more approachable expression.
“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. Using wheat in place of rye in the mashbill brought outstanding approachability with complexity of flavor,” says Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director, Buffalo Trace Distillery. “Today, wheated recipes comprise some of the most coveted whiskies in the world, of which Weller has earned global recognition as the most awarded brand from the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery. Having patiently waited for these exceptional whiskies to mature to our standard, we are pleased to introduce Weller Millenium as the brand’s pinnacle expression. This world-class expression captures the spirit of the incredible optimism felt at the turn of millennium, while charting a path to the future as a globally-celebrated wheated brand.”
Weller Millenium is held in a handcrafted crystal decanter with a custom-made crystal topper hand-etched with W.L. Weller’s original “W” stamp of quality. An illuminated display envelopes the 99-proof bottling with exactly 99 bursts while sharing the percentages of each vintage spirit inside the bottle.
Weller Millenium will be released in limited quantities through United States and global distributor networks, for $7,500.
