Weller Special Reserve vs. Buffalo Trace: Which Is Better?

When it comes to Weller Special Reserve vs. Buffalo Trace, which bourbon should you buy? 

They both can be difficult to find, have inflated prices, and are the baseline offerings of their respective “bourbon family”.

Here’s everything you need to know about which you should grab.

Weller Special Reserve vs. Buffalo Trace: A Quick Overview

	Buffalo Trace	Weller Special Reserve
Age	NAS (est. 8-10 years)	NAS
Proof	90	90
Mashbill	Buffalo Trace’s #1 Mashbill (thought to be made of 10% or less rye)	Undisclosed (Buffalo Trace “Wheated” Mashbill)
Price (750ml)	~$30	~$50

Both Weller Special Reserve and Buffalo Trace are widely beloved bourbons. They’re also both members of the “Sazerac family” of bourbons, which also includes Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor, Blanton’s, and a host of others.

The Weller line was created by William Larue Weller in 1849 and originally produced by Stitzel-Weller. It’s a wheated bourbon, meaning it has more wheat in the mashbill. This makes the flavor profile more sweet and mellow than a “traditional” bourbon.

The Weller brand was eventually sold to Buffalo Trace’s parent company, Sazerac, in 1999. Buffalo Trace, on the other hand, has been around since 1787 and is currently produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Weller Special Reserve is often referred to as “Baby Pappy”, meaning that it’s a budget-friendly alternative to the absurdly expensive and sought-after Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. Buffalo Trace, on the other hand, is considered to be a more affordable alternative to Weller’s more premium offerings.

Buffalo Trace vs. Weller Special Reserve: Price

When it comes to price, Weller Special Reserve and Buffalo Trace are both reasonably priced bourbons (…well, when it comes to their MSRP).

Theoretically, Weller Special Reserve will set you back around $25-$30, while Buffalo Trace will cost you around $20-$25.

But that’s almost laughable at this point.

If you do find these at a liquor store, you’re looking at somewhere between $50-$60 for Weller Special Reserve and $27-$40 for Buffalo Trace (both 750ml).

These bourbons (but Buffalo Trace less so) are part of the allocation craze where store owners charge literally as much as they think you’ll pay since everyone and their grand pappy want a bottle.

And there’s little reason to believe the price hikes will stop.

So, after some simple math, Buffalo Trace wins the price battle.

Weller Special Reserve vs. Buffalo Trace: Taste

When it comes to taste, Weller Special Reserve and Buffalo Trace are both excellent bourbons.

Weller Special Reserve is known for its rich and sweet flavor profile. Each sip gives deep caramel, some honey, and light spice. It’s not incredibly robust, especially on the nose, but it has just enough character to keep things interesting. It’s very easy to sip (like dangerously so).

You can read my full review of Weller Special Reserve here.

Buffalo Trace, on the other hand, is a bit more subdued. It’s like a slightly watered-down version of Weller Special Reserve but with more notes of vanilla and brown sugar. It’s still a fan favorite because it’s arguably even easier to sip than WSR.

You can read my full review of Buffalo Trace here.

So, which tastes better?

Weller Special Reserve by a slim margin.

Weller Special Reserve vs. Buffalo Trace: Value

When determining “value”, we always look at the quality of the bourbon for the price of a bottle.

So, this formula could result in one bottle being a “better value” than another based on price fluctuations.

But Buffalo Trace is easily the better value at this point.

For $30 in most cases, you get a quality, easy-to-drink bourbon that anyone can enjoy. If Weller Special Reserve went for its $30 MSRP, it would easily beat Buffalo Trace.

But woulda coulda shoulda.

1 point to Buffalo Trace.

Buffalo Trace vs. Weller Special Reserve: Availability

When it comes to availability, Weller Special Reserve and Buffalo Trace are both difficult to find. Weller Special Reserve is often out of stock at liquor stores, and even when it is in stock, it’s usually only available in limited quantities.

Buffalo Trace is also frequently out of stock at liquor stores, but it’s usually easier to find than Weller Special Reserve. You usually don’t have to bug store owners about if they have their allocations to see it. If they have it, it’s usually on their shelves.

All of this depends on where you live, but in most cases Buffalo Trace is significantly easier to find.

Buffalo Trace wins another.

Weller Special Reserve vs. Buffalo Trace: Who Wins?

Buffalo Trace wins.

Not because it’s the better bourbon but because it’s the better purchase. It’s cheaper, more widely available, and not substantially worse than Weller Special Reserve.

But that determination makes me sad.

Because I truly enjoy Weller Special Reserve more. It’s just increasing in price and demand at an unreasonable rate.

So, Buffalo Trace will have a spot on my shelf, and Weller Special Reserve will only make special appearances.

That being said, you can’t go wrong with Weller Special Reserve. Just know what you’re getting for your $50-$60.

And by god, don’t post how much you bought it for in the bourbon Facebook groups or you’ll start an all-out war.