2002 W.L. Weller 19 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon 90 Proof 750ml

Distilled in spring 1983, bottled in autumn 2002 at nineteen years and 90 proof — the final W.L. Weller 19 Year Old, and the end of the wheated expression that preceded William Larue Weller in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.

Before the Antique Collection's wheated slot became the barrel-proof William Larue Weller known today, it was held by W.L. Weller 19 Year Old: nineteen years of age, bottled at a restrained 90 proof. The 2002 edition was the last of them. Everything released under the Weller name in BTAC since has been a different bottling at a different strength.

Nineteen years at 45% ABV is an unusual combination by modern standards — the age of a trophy bottle at the proof of an everyday one. It produces a style of mature wheated bourbon that essentially stopped being made: oak and dried fruit without the heat that barrel strength brings.

The supplier describes the 1983 distillate as Stitzel-Weller. The distillery operated until 1992 and its whiskey is the most sought-after wheated bourbon of the era, but the bottle itself does not state a distillery of origin, so we're reporting that attribution rather than asserting it.

A vintage collectible rather than a current release — please review all photographs for fill level, label, closure and overall condition.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Deep caramel, vanilla, mature oak and brown sugar with dried fruit, leather and baking spice.
• Palate: Rich caramel and vanilla into dark fruit, toasted oak, tobacco and warm spice over mature barrel character.
• Finish: Long and complex, with lingering vanilla, seasoned oak, leather and caramelized sugar.

Specs

• Brand: W.L. Weller
• Collection: Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
• Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — wheated mashbill
• Age: 19 years
• Distilled: Spring 1983  |  Bottled: Fall 2002
• Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
• Condition: Vintage — see photographs
• Size: 750ml

Explore the full W.L. Weller collection or browse the rare spirits collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does this differ from William Larue Weller? They occupy the same slot in the Antique Collection at different times. W.L. Weller 19 Year Old was the early wheated release — a hard age statement at 90 proof — and 2002 was its final year. William Larue Weller replaced it as a barrel-proof bottling with no age statement, typically running from the high 120s into the 140s.
• Is this Stitzel-Weller whiskey? The supplier says so, and a 1983 distillation falls within the window when Stitzel-Weller was operating. The bottle doesn't name a distillery, though, so treat the attribution as supplier information rather than something printed on the label.
• Why would a nineteen-year bourbon be bottled at only 90 proof? It was the house style for that release. Proof and age are independent choices — the whiskey was cut to 90 rather than bottled at cask strength, which gives a softer, more integrated expression of long maturation. Modern releases mostly went the other way, which is part of why this style is now hard to find.