Weller 12 Year Review

Distillery: Buffalo Trace

Proof: 90

Age: 12 Years

Mashbill: Undisclosed (Buffalo Trace “Wheated” Mashbill)

MSRP: ~$44.99

Retail Price: $200-$300

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Company

Buffalo Trace (Sazerac Company) is arguably the most well-known distillery on the planet. Its lineup includes the likes of Pappy. E.H. Taylor, Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, W.L. Weller, and more.

The Weller line is named after William Laurie Weller, who was credited as being the first distiller to use wheat instead of rye as a secondary grain. He also actually hired Julian Van Winkle (Yep…”Pappy”) and his company (W.L. Weller & Sons) eventually merged with A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery to become Stitzel-Weller Distilling.

Weller 12 Year Review: Flavor Profile

Nose – 4.25/5

Deep caramel (common with Weller), graham cracker, honey, a touch of oak and orange peel. A second sip revealed a pretty pronounced “summer fruit” note. I’ll call it strawberry.

This is one of the best noses of any standard Weller in my opinion (i.e. not William Larue Weller). You can really tell the 12 years in the barrel made a big difference. It has a lot of similar notes as other old wheaters but without the cereal grain note that most tend to have…which is very nice.

Palate – 4/5

Pronounced dark chocolate and oak over a backdrop of caramel, vanilla, and that summer fruit note (strawberryish). There’s also a touch of orange peel. It has far more oak than most wheaters, which makes it a bit more dynamic and gives it a nice, well-balanced character.

Finish – 4/5

The fruity strawberryish note carries through to the finish with heavier caramel and vanilla. It fades into oak and black pepper, making for a medium finish that’s much more satisfying than expected for a 90 proof bourbon.

Value – 1.5/5

All Weller bottles tend to get bad scores here. They are just so overhyped and overpriced. At ~$50, which is its “MSRP”, this is a 5/5 value all day long. It’s a great bourbon with character that’s still easy-drinking and approachable. It’s my favorite “standard” Weller bottle.

But there is just no way you should pay $200+ for this. The only way I could justify it is if it was a unicorn bottle for me and I just wanted to try it once. Otherwise, you are much better off even sticking with a Larceny Barrel Proof or Maker’s 46.

Weller 12 Year Review…The Verdict

3.44/5

We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.

Scoring System:

• Platinum – 4.25 – 5
• Gold – 3.25 – 4.24
• Silver – 2.75 – 3.24
• Bronze – <2.75