While bottles bearing the name W.L. Weller are nowhere near as difficult to track down as Pappy, their reputation for using the same wheated mash bill have made them unicorns all the same. That means that if you ever come one selling at the suggested retail price set by Buffalo Trace Distillery, you snatch it up without asking too many questions — which is precisely what everyone in the whiskey world will do when they run into W.L. Weller Full Proof, which Buffalo Trace Distillery has confirmed is rolling out to select markets now (the brand did not comment on which states or regions will see bottles first).
Two notable attributes distinguish Full Proof in the W.L. Weller lineup. Bottled at 114 proof, the liquid is the same proof as when it first entered the barrel — for context, both 12 Year and Special Reserve are bottled at 90 proof. Buffalo Trace distillers also decided to skip chill-filtration to preserve some of the oils and flavors that the process can strip out.
Buffalo Trace set the retail price of W.L. Weller Full Proof at $50 and the distillery says it will come out once a year henceforth. Remember not to ask too many questions if you see one in the wild. We certainly won’t.