Review #473 - Old Weller Antique Original 107 Brand
Buffalo Trace changed the bottle style and branding for the Weller line to the current style back in 2016; before that, this bourbon series was offered in a more squat bottle. Because it's now discontinued, this bottling style can fetch a hefty sum at auction - we've seen a range between $250 and $500 in the last year or so.
This bottle is actually a single barrel pick of Old Weller Antique - it was selected by the Loch and K(e)y Society. This is Micro Batch 1314, and it's bottled at the usual 53.5% ABV (107 proof) of the standard Weller Antique bottling.
Old Weller Antique Original 107 Brand Single Barrel Select - Loch and K(e)y Pick
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 260 (2025, based on recent auction results)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 53.5% ABV
Details: Micro batch 1314
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 60% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Sweet red candy is dominant - rich cherries, and quite sweet overall. There's some oak as well, though it isn't too drying, more of a musty old oak; vanilla adds a baking spice. With time, the oak takes on a sort of barbecue smell, and soft dark grape is added to the fruit profile.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; it's warm and spicy, and the oak is much more drying than the nose. There's also a strong herbal/earthy side to this; the fruits are less sweet, with tart cherry and tannic grape skins being dominant.
Finish: Lots of wood spice and tannins - a bit of pepper spice, too. The tart grape from the end of the palate continues, and we get a soft vanilla sweetness. It's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This is a solid, if slightly unusual, single barrel selection of Weller Antique - the 107 proof point is great, giving it a nice mouthfeel and texture without making the alcohol overwhelming. While the nose leaned very sweet, the palate was surprisingly dry and herbal, much more so than we've experienced in the past with Weller bottlings.
Value on these old bottles isn't great, just because they're hard to find and therefore quite expensive. We found another bottle from this barrel for sale recently at auction, and it ended up going for $260. That's too expensive for the taste, but because of the rarity, this could be a fun collectible.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.70
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
