Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat Recipe Bourbon Whiskey

Buffalo Trace's most innovative Weller-family expression — Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat Recipe Bourbon uses emmer wheat, an ancient grain variety, as the secondary grain in place of the standard modern wheat used in the W.L. Weller and William Larue Weller programs. A historic grain meeting a historic family recipe.

The Weller family bourbon program traces to W.L. Weller's introduction of wheat as the secondary grain in 1849 — replacing rye to produce a softer, sweeter, more caramel-forward bourbon. That recipe became the foundation for Pappy Van Winkle and every Weller expression that followed. Daniel Weller takes this heritage further: instead of modern soft wheat (Triticum aestivum), it uses emmer (Triticum dicoccum) — an ancient hulled wheat variety cultivated since the Neolithic era and a direct ancestor of modern wheat.

Emmer was the primary wheat of the ancient world — grown by Egyptians, Romans, and the earliest American settlers before modern wheat varieties displaced it. It produces a different flavor profile than modern wheat: nuttier, more complex, with a distinctive grain character that standard wheated bourbon cannot achieve. Daniel Weller is named for Daniel Weller, a descendant of W.L. Weller, honoring the family lineage that established the wheated bourbon tradition. This is one of the most conceptually significant Buffalo Trace releases in recent memory.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Deep amber with the warmth of wheated bourbon maturation.
• Nose: The Weller wheated foundation with a distinctive nuttiness and grain complexity that emmer wheat produces beyond modern wheat's softer character.
• Palate: Rich and uniquely complex — the caramel and vanilla of the wheated mashbill layered with the ancient grain's distinctive character. A flavor profile achievable through no other grain combination.
• Finish: Long and satisfying — the emmer wheat's complexity persisting through a deeply distinctive close.

Specs

• Distillery: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Secondary grain: Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum — ancient hulled wheat variety)
• Named for: Daniel Weller, descendant of W.L. Weller
• Size: 750ml

Explore the full bourbon at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is emmer wheat and why is it significant? Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) is an ancient hulled wheat variety — one of the first cultivated grains, grown in the ancient Near East since approximately 10,000 BC and a direct ancestor of modern soft wheat. It produces a nuttier, more complex grain character than modern wheat varieties. Using it in bourbon is essentially without precedent in American whiskey production.
• How does Daniel Weller relate to the standard Weller lineup? The W.L. Weller lineup (Special Reserve, Antique 107, 12 Year) and William Larue Weller BTAC use modern soft wheat. Daniel Weller uses the same wheated mashbill concept but substitutes emmer for modern wheat — exploring what the Weller family recipe could have been using pre-modern grain varieties.
• Who was Daniel Weller? Daniel Weller was a descendant of W.L. Weller, the 19th-century distiller who introduced the wheat-substituted bourbon recipe in 1849. The expression honors both the Weller family heritage and the spirit of grain exploration that defined the family's contribution to American bourbon.
• Is Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat still available? Yes — one of the most innovative and sought-after Buffalo Trace releases in recent years.