Weller 12 YO over agin Beam 12 YO

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Weller 12 YO over agin Beam 12 YO

Unread postby Mike » Mon Nov 25, 2013 6:56 pm

I have read, and it sounds not unreasonable to me, that Weller 12 YO (which is not easy to find in my neck of the woods) is the 12 YO wheat bourbon that Buffalo Trace makes for the Van Winkle's 12 YO Lot B that was NOT selected for use in their bourbon. My own comparison of Weller to Van Winkle Lot B (which is darker in color) reveals that Lot B is superior in complexity and subtlety to the Weller....... a noticeable, but not great, difference.

Now, how does the Weller 12 YO wheat bourbon compare to the newly released Beam 12 YO rye recipe bourbon?

Herein lies an excellent example of the difference twixt a corn/wheat recipe bourbon vs a corn/rye recipe bourbon. The Weller has the softer sweetness one expects from a wheat bourbon. The Beam has more of the rye 'scratch' in the mouth that rye bourbon lovers look for in their favorite bourbon (e.g. our BE friend Squire and his love of the wonderful Old Grand Dad, a Beam bourbon). Rye awakens the palate, while wheat gives it, by comparison, a bit of repose.

The Beam 12 YO does not 'look' like a 12 YO bourbon, its color is significantly lighter than the Weller, implying less barrel influence. And, the Weller taste confirms that impression, it does offer more barrel sweetness. The Beam tastes like a younger bourbon than Weller in that respect.

The 12 YO Beam is much like the Beam 8 YO (of my memory) a respectable whiskey, but no more than that. It strength is that it is superior to the White Beam (greater subtlety), its weakness is that at its price range it is inferior to Knob Creek (for which I have an affection that can only be accounted for by my affection for that wonderful, but too often absent, character of bygone BE days, Saint Bunghole).

The Weller 12 is probably not better than the Beam 12 YO, just different. For the money, the better bourbon in this price range $30 to $40 by far is the Four Roses Single Barrel.......... in my opinion, a more complete whiskey.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: Weller 12 YO over agin Beam 12 YO

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Wed Nov 27, 2013 10:35 am

I have not tried the WL Weller 12 yr...as it is very hard to find in my neck of the woods...but I will be picking some up on my upcoming business trip and carrying it back,

The Weller 12yr is $25 per bottle...from everything I have read...for the money it will be hard to beat.

I'm more of a rye bourbon guy...as I like the spice...but I'll give the Weller 12 yr a try as I may just be surprised.

My "go to" bourbon is Woodford Reserve...a little bit sweeter of a bourbon but one that keeps me coming back again...we'll see how the Weller 12 yr compares on my pallate.

I've got a bottle of Pappy 20 yr that I'll be cracking open on the 13th of this month at a tasting at our house with some bourbon loving friends...a common family tree branch of the Weller 12 year

The bourbons on the selection sheet for us out of my cabinet are as follows:

Weller 12 yr
Pappy 20 yr
Four Roses Single Barrel OESK
Four Roses 125th Anniversary
AE Cask Strength
AE
Town Branch
Col EH Taylor Small Batch
Col EH Taylor Barrel Proof
Russells Reserve
Woodford Reserve
Woodford Double Oaked
Willett Reserve
Basil Hayden
Bakers
Buffalo Trace Cream Bourbon




What Friends are bringing to the party
Knob Creek
Stagg Jr
Bookers
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