William Larue Weller
"Weller's Wisdom. . . . .Wheat!"
William Larue “W.L.” Weller was born in July of 1825, the grandson of German immigrants who moved to Central Kentucky on a flatboat in 1794. In 1800, his grandparents bought a home near Bardstown, Kentucky, when his father, Samuel Weller, was just 13 years old. W.L.’s mother, Phoebe Larue Weller, was the daughter of the founder of Larue County, Kentucky, John Larue. Weller’s grandfather was a small distiller like many Kentucky farmers of the day. William was destined to build a name for himself and used the family's whiskey-making prowess as his foothold.
In 1840, the 15-year-old Weller moved to Louisville, but after a while, left to serve in the Mexican-American War as part of the Louisville Brigade. In Texas, Weller advanced to the rank of Lieutenant. In late 1848, after the War, William and his younger brother Charles opened a trading company on Jefferson Street in Louisville, selling their own whiskey label called ‘William Larue Weller & Brother’. It was in 1849 that Weller came up with the idea of replacing the second grain of Rye in a bourbon’s mash bill and essentially “inventing” wheated bourbon. The wheat produced a much richer and smoother flavor. Weller marketed his product with the slogan, “Honest Whiskey at an Honest Price.” Weller also met his soon-to-be wife, Sarah B. Pence, in 1849, married her shortly thereafter, and proceeded to have eight children over the next 14 years.
The Weller family was split in the U. S. Civil War when two of the Weller brothers fought for the Confederacy. William’s oldest brother, John Weller, rose to the rank of Captain in the CSA and was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga near Chattanooga, Tennessee. William and Charles stayed home in Louisville and tried to stay neutral in order to sell as much whiskey to both the North and the South as they could. Charles, who was intent on selling to both sides, was killed on the street in 1862 while trying to collect on a business debt in Franklin, Tennessee.
It was in 1893 when William made his second truly significant decision, one of the best moves in the history of American whiskey, when W.L. hired Julian Van Winkle (who was not quite yet called “Pappy”). This allowed Julian to get his first start in the whiskey trade, working as a salesman for Weller. A few years later, W.L. Weller retired, leaving the business to his brother, John, and his eldest son, George. W.L. died in 1899 in Ocala, Florida.
In 1909, Weller’s namesake company eventually went on to merge with his former employee Van Winkle’s “A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery” to form the most famous distillery of all time in the ”Stitzel-Weller Distillery.” It became renowned for such brands as W.L. Weller, Pappy Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still.
A true distilling pioneer, William Larue Weller is still 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. His bourbon became so well-liked and thus copied by others that popular legend was that Weller needed to put a green thumbprint on his invoices and barrels to ensure that customers were receiving the real deal.
Contributed by Colonel Craig Duncan, Columbia, Tennessee
Weller Special Reserve (Green Label); Weller Antique 107 (Red Label); Weller Aged 12 Years (Black Label); Weller C. Y. P. B. {Craft your Perfect Bourbon} (White Label).
W. L. Weller’s three old Versions and its Antique Collection. W. L. Special Reserve (White Label with Green neck band); Old Weller Antique Original 107 Brand (Beige Label Red neck band); W. L. Weller 12 Year-old (Black Label with Black neck band) and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection’s William Larue Weller 17 year-old (annual Limited Release)
Weller’s Limited Edition Single Year versions: W. L. Weller Centennial 10 Year Old (1994 as part a five Brand “Bourbon Heritage Collection”); and Weller C. Y. P. B. {Craft your Perfect Bourbon} (White Label).