This is a question I am often asked: “What should I get when I can’t find Weller Special Reserve?” It is a relevant question as Weller has gotten hard to find and is expensive when you locate it. When I was at United Distillers in the early 1990s, Weller was easy to find. It had a seven year age statement and was 90 proof Bourbon. It cost about $22.00 a bottle. It now costs about $60.00 a bottle and does not have an age statement. Here are my recommendations for a Bourbon to drink when you can’t find Weller Special Reserve.

  1. Makers Mark: It is a wheat recipe Bourbon and 90 proof. It is 5-6 years old and has a lower barrel entry proof than Weller at 110 compared to 114. It also costs less at about $25.00 a bottle.
  2. Wilderness Trail Wheat Recipe: A couple of years ago, Matt and I started doing a series of YouTube videos where I opened a bottle of Old Fitzgerald from the 1960s and compared it to other wheat recipe Bourbons. Wilderness Trail Wheat Recipe was what we determined is the nearest to Stitzel-Weller Old Fitzgerald. The six year old was very close but the four year old was not far behind. It will cost you about $50.00 for a bottle.
  3. Linkumpinch Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon: This is a wheat recipe Bourbon from Dueling Grounds Distillery in Kentucky. It is a very good Bourbon and tastes very much like Weller Special Reserve. It will cost you about $60.00 for a bottle but has limited distribution, mostly in Kentucky.
  4. Green River Wheat Recipe Bourbon: While I was in the hospital and could not drink, Matt recorded a couple of YouTube videos blind tasting wheat recipe Bourbons. Green River did very well in those videos. A bottle will cost you about $40.00.
  5. Ben Holladay Wheat Recipe Bourbon: This is another wheat recipe Bourbon that fared well in Matt’s videos. It is an excellent, six year old bonded Bourbon. It will cost you about $55.00 and has limited distribution, but is well worth the effort if it is distributed in your area.
  6. Leiper’s Fork Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon: This wheat recipe Bourbon is distributed mostly in Tennessee. Leiper’s Fork Distillery is a small distillery, but makes an excellent wheat recipe Bourbon. If you can get a bottle, it will cost you about $70.00, but it is worth it.

These are the Bourbons that I think best replace Weller Special Reserve when you cannot find it. Some of them are as expensive as Weller Special Reserve and have limited distribution, but they can be found and aren’t exorbitantly priced when you find them. I hope that this answers the question, “What should I buy when I can’t get Weller special Reserve?”

Photos courtesy of Rosemary Miller