Unicorn whiskies are rare bottles of hard-to-find bourbons — like Old Forester's Birthday Bourbon, Four Roses Limited Editions, Buffalo Trace's Antique Collection, or anything produced by Kentucky mainstay Pappy Van Winkle, according to Gear Patrol.
It is a bourbon that is hard to find, such as Pappy Van Winkle, Four Roses Limited Editions, or Buffalo Trace's Antique Collection. Hunters travel far and wide to bag a unicorn.
Many seemingly ordinary bourbons used to be readily available, sitting on shelves of liquor stores, but are now considered unicorns, hard-to-find bourbons. As a result, they are sold for 10 times their retail value on secondary markets. Weller 12-Year is one such bourbon.
Whiskey is a distilled spirit made from grains like corn and rye and aged in wooden barrels. Bourbon is a type of whiskey, and there are strict rules in place to ensure its quality. Bourbon must be made in the US, distilled from at least 51% corn, and aged in new oak-charred barrels.
There are five basic whiskey types: Single malt, blended malt, blended whiskey, barrel proof, or single cask. Most countries produce some or all of these whiskeys, though some are more common in certain areas than others.
A true distilling pioneer, William Larue Weller is credited with being the first distiller to produce Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey using wheat instead of rye in the mash bill. Weller's original “wheated bourbons” became extremely popular, with a softer, smoother taste.
Like many Buffalo Trace products, W.L. Weller Special Reserve can be hard to find. It's produced in limited amounts, and sizable retail markups make it even harder to source at the producer's suggested price of $23.99.
Why is Weller Special Reserve So Expensive. The whiskey is made using a wheated recipe, giving it a unique flavor profile prized by bourbon aficionados. While Buffalo Trace offers several other bourbons made using a wheated formula, including Pappy Van Winkle, Weller Special Reserve is the only mass-produced one.
Bourbon or any spirit served over ice is referred to as "on the rocks." If you're new to the bourbon game, this can help tame it down and make it easier to acclimate yourself to drinking this spirit. However, taming it down a bit also waters down the flavors, diminishing the experience.
Unicorn: A bottle rarely seen “in the wild” due to its rarity, such as the Van Winkle or BTAC lines. As the bourbon boom continues however, many unicorns go extinct, while former shelf turds like Eagle Rare are elevated to low-level unicorn, much to more veteran drinkers' consternation and mockery.
The primary requirement that defines bourbon as straight is if the distillate has spent a minimum of two years stored in new charred oak barrels. The only exception to this rule is corn whiskey, which is aged in uncharred or used oak barrels. During the aging process, Bourbon oxidizes and penetrates the wood.
With its white horse-like body and single spiralling horn, the unicorn is a symbol of purity, innocence and power in Celtic mythology. Legend also tells that their horns can purify poisoned water, such is the strength of their healing power.
Details. USA, SC - Copper Pony Rye is a small batch American Rye whiskey from South Carolina. It has a rich profile with spicy bread notes and a warming finish. Great in on its own or in complex whisky cocktails.
Triple Cask Whisky is whisky aged in three different cask types during the aging process. This could be a whisky which is matured in one cask then transferred to a second and then to a third, or it could be three whiskies matured in different cask types that are transferred and combined in a fourth, bigger barrel.
“Poor Man's Pappy” is a 2:3 blend of Weller 12 yr + Old Weller Antique 107. For a ready to to drink blend of Poor Man's Pappy, pour 2 parts (40%) Weller 12 year and 3 parts (60%) Old Weller Antique 107 into a glass. Give it a swirl and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then, enjoy!
William Larue Weller Bourbon 2021
If you prefer the mellow taste of wheated bourbons to the sharper taste of rye, you might enjoy sipping on William Larue Weller. You can buy a bottle today for $2,299.99.
W.L. Weller Special Reserve Bourbon Whiskey costs around $69 to $99. W.L. Weller 12-Year-old bourbon costs around $399 to $499. W.L. Weller Old Weller Antique 107 Proof Bourbon Whiskey costs around $179 to $199. W.L Weller C.Y.P.B.
Blame this on whiskey geeks who discovered that Weller is basically Pappy (made at Buffalo Trace using the same mash bill), but aged for different amounts of time and in different warehouses. This makes Weller probably the closest thing to Pappy you can find, and for that reason, it has become another cult whiskey.
The bourbons vary based on proof and how long they were aged. Visit the Buffalo Trace website to learn about the specific differences. Special Reserve is the easiest Weller to find.
Which Weller bourbon is the hardest to find? The Weller 12-year and Antique 107 are the hardest to find among other varieties of the company. Some retailers sold these wheated bourbon bottles with a $200 or more tag price.
Whiskey is a general term for an alcoholic liquor made from fermented mashed grains. Bourbon is the term for a whiskey made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn. Bourbon was traditionally made in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and most bourbon is still produced in the state of Kentucky.
In brief, bourbon is mostly corn, while Scotch is mostly barley. Of note, Scotch includes both malt whisky and grain whisky. “Bourbon must contain more corn than any other grain (51% minimum),” says Robin Robinson, author of The Complete Whiskey Course.
Bruichladdich X4 Quadrupled Whiskey
184 (92% alcohol). Made in: ScotlandBased on the 17th-century method of quadruple distilling, Bruichladdich's X4 is billed as the most alcoholic single malt ever made.