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Weller Special Reserve Review: The best $50 Pappy Van Winkle dupe

Written by James Brains edited by Bronwyn Barnes
The author observes the coloration of Weller Special Reserve bourbon in a Glencairn glass, and the bottle of Weller Special Reserve is displayed on a white table.
Of the hundreds of bottles I've sampled, Weller Special Reserve stands out as the best. Erin Brains/James Brains/Insider
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I am obsessed with bourbon. After being assigned to cover the category, I dove in head first — traveling to Kentucky, touring distilleries large and small, tasting more than 100 bottles, and talking to every master distiller, whiskey judge, and bartender I could find.

After all of my testing, Weller Special Reserve remains my personal favorite bourbon. Once referred to as the "enlisted man's Pappy," it has earned massive cult status in the whiskey world. Weller Special Reserve and the legendary Pappy Van Winkle are both wheated bourbons that are distilled in the same stills and aged in the same warehouses.

Weller special reserve
Weller Special Reserve and the legendary Pappy Van Winkle are both wheated bourbons that are distilled in the same stills and aged in the same warehouses.
Weller Special Reserve Bourbon
$52.99
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If you're hunting for the perfect Father's Day gift for a spirits-loving dad — or a present for someone that's impossible to shop for — this affordable bourbon sips way above its price tag. It features perfectly balanced flavors and an approachable proof that appeals to both seasoned tasters and beginners alike.

Let's look at why Weller Special Reserve is the ultimate bottle to gift.

Blind taste testing Weller

Bottles of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Weller Special Reserve, and Russell’s Reserve 10-Year bourbons are displayed in a row on a wooden chest.
While I had a hunch Weller would win out, I still tried it alongside some of my other top picks in a blind tasting, just to be sure. James Brains/Insider

To determine my absolute favorite bottle, I had my wife to administer a blind taste test featuring four highly regarded, 90-proof competitors.

  • Russell's Reserve 10-Year: The top overall pick from our guide to the best bourbon.
  • Eagle Rare: My favorite bourbon from my trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
  • Weller Special Reserve: The legendary heated bourbon that famously shares its mash bill (recipe) with Pappy Van Winkle.
  • Buffalo Trace: A single-barrel expression hand-selected by a local liquor store.

While all four contenders tasted excellent, Weller Special Reserve decisively came out on top. It hits you first with a beautifully sweet nose featuring distinct notes of rich caramel and cherry. On the palate, it offers a flawless balance of sweetness and gentle spice. I picked up layers of honey, butterscotch, and a hint of oak. The finish is pleasantly long, warm, and velvety smooth.

Ultimately, it was Weller's remarkable complexity and smooth balance that set it apart from the rest of the pack. If you want a standout gift that will genuinely impress a bourbon drinker, this is it.

Weller Special Reserve versus Pappy Van Winkle

A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20-Year is displayed on a bar, and a bottle of Weller Special Reserve is displayed on a white table.
Weller uses the same recipe as Pappy Van Winkle (shown left), which can retail for thousands of dollars a bottle. James Brains/Insider

Pappy Van Winkle is one of the most legendary, sought-after bourbons on the planet. Because of its mythic status, a single bottle regularly commands over 10 times its retail price on secondary markets. While I strongly recommend trying a pour of Pappy and picking up a bottle if you find it at a decent price, it's nearly impossible to find. 

That's where Weller Special Reserve comes in.

It's crafted by the same distillery, Buffalo Trace, using the same wheated bourbon recipe (or "mashbill") as its multi-thousand-dollar sibling.

During my travels, Freddie Johnson — a popular Buffalo Trace tour guide featured prominently in "Neat: The Story of Bourbon" — confirmed that both bourbons start out exactly the same way.

While Pappy bourbons are aged for a minimum of 10 years, Buffalo Trace keeps the exact age statement of Weller Special Reserve a secret. Renowned whiskey critic Fred Minnick, author of "Bourbon Curious," notes that because Weller is bottled younger, it hasn't had the decades in wood required to develop Pappy's hyper-intense oak complexity.

However, because they share the same DNA, Weller offers that signature, velvety-smooth wheated profile at a fraction of the price. If you want to give someone a bottle with genuine insider clout (without paying a secondary-market ransom) this is your best move.

Where to buy Weller Special Reserve

The author noses a Glencairn glass of Weller Special Reserver bourbon.
Will travel for bourbon. Erin Brains/Insider

Buffalo Trace Distillery is having a moment right now. Most of its bourbons are "allocated," meaning bars and stores can only get a limited number of bottles. Consequently, they sell out quickly at retail and garner high prices on the secondary market.

Weller Special Reserve retails for $25, but I've never seen it for sale at that price in Michigan, where I live. Instead, I had a friend pick it up when he was in Ohio, where you can track availability. He got it for the MSRP, but had to ask employees to find it. As is common with rare Buffalo Trace offerings, it was kept behind the counter or in the back of the store.

If your local liquor store doesn't carry Weller, you might be able to get it delivered to your area using an online retailer. However, expect to pay more than retail.

The best Weller bourbons

All seven varieties of Weller bourbon are lined up on a bar.
Weller produces a line of bourbons, and my favorite is the easiest to find of the bunch. Buffalo Trace Distillery

There are seven Weller bourbons:

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. Some of the expressions may cost you more than $1,000 on the secondary market. The only other Weller I've tried is the 12 Year. I found it tasted great, but I'll take the Special Reserve for my money. I look forward to trying other Wellers down the road. I just need to figure out where to find them at a reasonable price.

The bottom line

Two short glasses of amber liquor with ice sit on a dark perforated bar surface.
If you find any Weller in a liquor store at retail, I highly recommend giving it a try. Business Insider

If you find any Weller in a liquor store at retail, I highly recommend giving it a try. Weller Special Reserve punches well above its price tag and is comparable to high-end options like Old Rip Van Winkle 10-Year. After tasting more than 100 bourbons, it's my personal top pick.

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James Brains
James Brains was a home and kitchen reporter and product expert with over seven years of experience in service journalism. He is passionate about providing helpful buying advice to readers based on extensive testing. ExperienceDuring his time as a Senior Reporter for Business Insider’s Reviews team, James focused on testing home and kitchen products. He used his hands-on experience to write in-depth reviews and buying guides, tackling everything from air fryers and toaster ovens to air conditioners and vacuums. Before joining Business Insider, James worked as a freelance writer and ran Brains Report, his personal product review site. In addition to home and kitchen products, James also has a background in writing about tech, health, and fitness.   Why you can trust JamesJames uses his background in experimental psychology to develop objective tests and review methodologies for all the products he evaluates. He’s tested over 100 mattresses to write our guide to the best mattresses, even touring a mattress manufacturing facility to further enrich his expertise. Seeing how mattresses are constructed has provided key insights into what to look for and what materials and features are best for certain sleepers. James believes high-quality sleep is worth a premium, and he’s passionate about helping readers get a better night’s sleep — but he’ll always help you find a good deal on a mattress in the process. Expertise
  • Mattresses and sleep products
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Kitchen appliances and cookware
  • Heating and cooling products
  • Vacuums
EducationJames holds a master's degree in psychology from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree from Michigan State. He lives in Lansing, Michigan, with his wife, two kids, and a kitty. When he’s not testing a new mattress or air fryer, James enjoys running the Facebook foodie group Lansing Foodies. The group has over 80,000 followers and puts on an annual Olive Burger Festival.