As some of you will recall, my opinion of the William Larue Weller is, while it is an excellent bourbon, at $70, it is overpriced. I found it to be a shade too short on the finish for my taste.
So, I put together a vatted whiskey consisting of the following: 25% WLW; 25% Maker's Mark; 25% Dickel 12 (I like ole George, he sings a nice little song.....but can he harmonize?); and 25% Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve 90 proof. That makes the final product 98 proof.
Nice nose with nuts, leather, brunt brown sugar, corn, nutmeg, dates, the warming rye, and oak dryness and char (ole George can harmonize and strange to say, I think he takes the lead.........I had hopes for him!).
The taste has the richness of the WLW and a bit of the MM sweetness. The RR throws in some rye bite, and the Dickel seems to add his oak dryness and a touch of char. I am pleased.
Being of a curious turn of mind, I throwed this in the ring with one of my personal moderately priced favorites, Jefferson's Reserve........ to let 'em duke it out (nothing blind or scienfitic here, mind you!)
I can modestly report (you didn't think it would come out otherwise, did you?) that my vatting with the WLW as the anchor bourbon (with ole George bobbing and weaving the whole while) more than held its own. IMHO, the vatted whiskey has a bit more backbone and character (and don't forget, I am a big fan of JR), due, I suppose, to the dry oakiness and char of the Dickel and the rye of the WT RR.
This is a very, very, good vatted bourbon.
P.S. I am glad to be off the wagon (see my post 'I was wundering'). I spent the night in the kennel last night courtesy of my dog, who 'brougnt me up' on charges of cruelty and was able to make the case to the SPCA that he was being mistreated because I was denying him his bourbon 'ration'.
He made the case (who knows where he gets his information) that just like English Seamen get their grog (which they no longer get, by the way), he has a legal 'expectation' of a bourbon ration. I pointed out the the English Seamen don't have that 'right' anymore. But I was tried by a jury of Barleycorn's peers, so what should I expect!
Needless to say, there is a bit of tension twixt me and my dog at the moment. It is the old dilemma of when has a friend pushed you too far!