The Upcoming Weller ‘Full Proof’ Bourbon Could be the Whiskey of the Summer

Weller Full Proof Label.
Weller Full Proof Label.

It would appear that Buffalo Trace and parent company Sazerac are preparing to release a new, non-chill filtered wheated bourbon, called Weller Full Proof, later this year. It could very well end up being the most talked about whiskey of the summer.

Whether or not depends on what we find out over the next few weeks.

Here’s what we know:

Social media circles are sharing records from a TTB filing discovered over the weekend showcasing label and packaging designs, as well as a description for a yet-unannounced Weller variant:

Weller Full Proof Back Label.

The text reads:

“William Larue Weller developed his original bourbon recipe with wheat, rather than rye. Bottled at the same 114 proof in which it was entered into the barrel, this non-chill filtered wheated bourbon forgoes chill filtration to preserve all the naturally occurring residual oils and flavors that occur during the distillation and aging process (potentially making it appear cloudy at cold temperatures). This bourbon balances a rich mouthfeel, with robust notes of vanilla and oak. A whiskey that satisfies the demand of the non-chill filtered whiskey enthusiasts, honoring the man who made wheated bourbon legendary.”

This news also comes almost a year to the week after the formal announcement of Weller CYPB (the portfolio addition that allowed users to determine a new batch by popular vote). It’s possible that, in a continuation of that “give the people what they want” concept, this new bourbon is designed to fill a growing demand in the market for non-chill filtered Weller.

After all, non-chill filtered Weller bourbons (outside of the Antique Collection) are rare. In order to get one, the whiskey must currently come from a single barrel pick—a limited number of those are even allowed each year, and secondary market trading for them can be serious business. Proofing the whiskey at 114 is also substantial (though perhaps not as substantial as the 125-plus-proof William Larue Weller released as part of the most recent Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, or the one from 2017 which won Jim Murray’s World Whisky of the Year).

Now, here’s a small segment of what we don’t know:

  1. When the whiskey will be released.
  2. How large a release this whiskey will see, and how frequently it will be shipped.
  3. Whether this whiskey will eat into finite supplies of aging Weller liquid designated for existing products like Weller 12.

Buffalo Trace did not immediately reply to requests for comment, and since this information is gathered from filings sourced from the TTB, it’s likely that a formal release is imminent. We’ll update you when we know more.

G. Clay Whittaker
Clay is Editor at Large of The Bourbon Review. He has written about whiskey, food, drink, and culture for Esquire, Playboy, Men's Journal, Popular Science, Southern Living, Maxim, among others.