In honour of good friends from America visiting, I start 2015 by opening a new bottle of bourbon. WL Weller 12 year old is a brand of wheated bourbon whiskey produced in Frankfort, Kentucky.
The Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company originally owned the brand. Currently, it is owned by the Sazerac Company and made at the Buffalo Trace distillery.
Distilled from a mash composed of at least 51% corn, WL Weller is similar to most bourbons. Wheated means the mash recipe uses wheat and not rye as the secondary grain. The majority is still corn and a little malted barley to convert the mash.
The first person credited to use wheat as the flavouring grain for Kentucky straight bourbon was WL Weller. He also managed to build a successful business on the idea. The resulting recipe makes for generally a sweeter and milder whiskey.
The character isn’t directly related to the use of wheat as much as the lack of rye. Also, a wheated bourbon ages better. His wheated bourbon was first produced in 1849.
Both the WL Weller 12 year old bourbon and the famous Pappy Van Winkle bourbon whiskey is made at Buffalo Trace’s distillery since Stitzel-Weller closed down in 1992. The WL Weller whiskey has won numerous awards. Most recently, a 2014 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Jim Murray has given this wheated bourbon a 93.5 in his Whisky Bible. Understandable, I am excited to try this exciting bourbon. In South Africa, this is probably the closest I will come to anything remotely resembling a Pappy van Winkle.
Related Article: McCarthy’s Whisky
WL Weller 12 year old Bourbon Whiskey Review
COUNTRY: USA
ABV: 45%.
COLOUR: Dark copper colour with hints of red. It is a thick and oily spirit and points to great dram.
NOSE: The WL Weller 12 year old bourbon has a pleasant, sweet bourbon aroma on the nose. In the background, there are notes of butterscotch, rich vanilla and cereals. There are faint hints of wheat and creamed corn on the nose.
PALATE: Without water, the palate is rich and creamy with hints of spice. After adding some water, it is still very smooth, with cinnamon and ginger spices coming through. Some of the bourbon sweetness disappears, and the wheat and oak take over. The vanilla and honey sweetness lingers in the background.
FINISH: Medium length finish that ends in notes of oak and hints of spicy citrus marmalade.
RATING: VERY GOOD
This bourbon whiskey from the Buffalo Trace distillery is a good start to a busy year. With all these spicy notes, I wonder if this bourbon will pair well with an apple pie? I might bake one for dessert and try it with the WL Weller 12 year old bourbon again.
Also Read: Heavenhill Old Style Bourbon
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