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The tale of Weller 12 in the past decade or so is a melancholy one for bourbon drinkers — a story of beautiful flavors, secondary hype and a tragedy of price increase. “Probably after Pappy, Weller 12’s the hardest one to get,” says Blake Riber, founder of the blog Bourbonr and the whiskey service Seelbach’s. Weller 12 is a wheated whiskey, its barrels aged at least 12 years in Buffalo Trace’s rickhouses.
Buffalo Trace refuses to release the specifics of its mashbills, to some drinkers’ chagrin. But we know for a fact that its wheated mashbill is used for all of the distillery's wheaters, including both the Weller and Van Winkle lines (exceptions being the CYPB Weller, Van Winkle Rye and the experimental new Daniel Weller bourbon). That means Weller 12 is the same mashbill, age and proof as Van Winkle Lot B — which often goes for $1,000's these days on the secondary market. In fact, Buffalo Trace says that the difference between the two is simply that the Van Winkle family selects barrels to be included in Van Winkle Lot B; Buffalo Trace tasters select the barrels for Weller 12.
“Weller 12 is strong and smooth,” says Harlan Wheatley, Buffalo Trace’s master distiller.
“Caramel, dark cherry and orange,” says Riber.
“The thing I’ve always liked,” says Minnick, “is that I can put on my tongue, and the flavor just sits there. Even the very best barrel-proof whiskeys, I can appreciate and enjoy them when I put them on my tongue, but eventually, I feel that barrel strength. With Weller 12, I’d almost compare it to melted butter.”
And when people started asking liquor store owners what was “like Pappy,” but available, well … they told the truth. Same mashbill, almost as old. Weller 12.