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W.L. Weller 12 Year Old

Like Doughboy from Boyz N The Hood

0 685

@RantavahtiReview by @Rantavahti

24th Aug 2015

0

W.L. Weller 12 Year Old
  • Nose
    21
  • Taste
    22
  • Finish
    20
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    85

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This was only my second wheated bourbon (Rebel Yell was first). Coming from Buffalo Trace distillery, the mash has 75% corn, 20% wheat, 5% malted barley. So the secondary grain used in the mash bill, is wheat instead of rye. This makes makes the bourbon smoother.

W. L Weller 12YO has a good reputation, when it comes to winning prizes. Even though I'm more of a rye guy, I didn't mind the taste of good wheat.

The taste and the feel is very much like flours. With a little touch spices. Like someone had baked a salty pie and used wheat flours. This bourbon is like a Doughboy, not the Pillsbury one, but the character from Boyz N The Hood, played by Ice Cube (since I'm referencing movies).

Nose: Sweet with creamy corn being the major aroma. Vanilla and nuts are on the background. Smooth and a bit too one sided for me.

Taste: Sweet and smooth, like wheat flours. Cereal with oak and some sugary corn, which gives it a waxy honey feel. Addition of water and some air time (and the more you chew it) makes it peppery hot.

Finish: Long length, dry with oak. Hints of sugary notes and some vanilla.

Balance: In balance, nothing seems to be stepping up, except the floury wheat. As I said, I prefer a strong rye more, but this isn't bad either. Many whisky enthusiasts and professionals seem to like this one a lot, so try it if you can.

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6 comments

@Victor
Victor commented

Thanks, @Rantavahti. This bottle sounds like my first bottle of Weller 12 yo. If you have a full bottle, just wait about 12-18 months and watch it change: it will become much fuller and more lush...probably worth 3-6 points added to your score of 85.

Some bottles of Weller 12 are lush right out of the gate, as @paddockjudge recently demonstrated to me.

9 years ago 0

@Rantavahti
Rantavahti commented

Thanks @Victor! Unfortunately I only had a sample.

I can imagine a whole bottle of Weller 12YO being a good experience. It was interesting to read about the Weller and Pappy Van Winkle connection, more about it in here: whiskyrant.com/w-l-weller-12-year-old-revie…

9 years ago 0

@cherylnifer
cherylnifer commented

Victor: after reading the whiskyrant.com/w-l-weller 12 link provided by Rantavahti, and knowing you have sampled both Old Rip Van Winkle 12yo and W.L. Weller 12yo recently, did you find them similar/comparable (if using the same mash) ?

9 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@cherylnifer, I have never tasted any Weller product which I could remotely have confused with any Van Winkle product. Van Winkle bourbons have a LOT of variation, batch to batch, yet NONE of the batches of Van Winkle I have ever tasted, tasted to me like any of the batches of W.L. Weller bourbon I have ever tasted.

Same distillery or not, for me, anyway, the brands are very distinct from one another.

9 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@cherylnifer...wait a minute, I can think of one exception to what I just said: my bottle of the now no longer produced Old Rip Van Winkle 10 years old, 90 proof, started its life in a very understated way, just like your and my bottles of W.L. Weller 12 yo did. Eventually the Van Winkle 10-90 blossomed and acquired big and delicious flavours rather distinct from the Weller products. During the chrysalis period it was very much like a muted Weller product.

9 years ago 0

@Rantavahti
Rantavahti commented

Interesting to hear @Victor. I have zero experience of Van Winkle bourbons, hopefully I can fix that misfortune soon...

9 years ago 0