W. L. Weller 12 Years Old Review

W. L. Weller 12 Year old bourbon is one of my favorites. It’s a wheated bourbon, like the impossible-to-find Pappy Van Winkle line. This one, however, is pretty readily available…at least in the New Orleans market (I hear it’s hard to find in areas of the country). Buffalo Trace distills both. In fact, they use the same recipe, or mash bill. Well, if they’re made by the same distillery using the same recipe, are they the same bourbon? No, they’re not. From what I gather, the Van Winkles have first dibs at barrels of wheated bourbons. They take what they consider the best, and the rest goes to the Weller line.

Part of enjoying whiskey is smelling it. If you’re not doing that, you’re really doing yourself a disservice. This one has a STRONG sweet caramel smell. I could smell this all day. How’s it taste? Definitely on the sweeter side. Honey and caramel are pretty strong. The finish doesn’t last too long. It mainly stays on your tongue for a few seconds. This doesn’t taste like a 90 proof bourbon.

W.L. Weller has a few products out. Their Special Reserve, which is a little cheaper and another great bourbon, and their Old Antique 107 proof. I’ve yet to run across a bottle of Old Antique Weller in New Orleans. Of the two I’ve tasted, I easily prefer the 12 year. It runs close to $25, but I’ve seen it more expensive – as high as $40. People refer to it as the poor man’s Pappy. They might be similar enough to say that, but these are still two different bourbons. Pappy Van Winkle’s bourbons are at the top of the heap. If W. L. Weller is the leftover stuff, that’s nothing to balk at. This is one delicious bourbon. Have you tried Weller 12 year? Comment below and let me know what you think.

Highly recommended 9/10

Colonel E. H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon Review

I’ve always noticed the tall, attractive cardboard tube on the top shelf of the whiskey aisle. It had E. H. Taylor Jr’s fancy signature written across the front. An image of Taylor on the side. It looks like a throwback to the old days. Okay, the really old days… after all, I’m only in my thirties.

The other thing that stands out is “Bottled In Bond” on the bottom of the label. What the heck does that mean? Back in the late 1800s, a lot of whiskey that sold wasn’t “pure.” People were adding artificial coloring and sweeteners and passing it off as straight bourbon. Here’s where Edmund Haynes Taylor steps in. He fought to pass the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897. If a bourbon was labeled “bottled in bond,” it meant that bourbon followed compliances and regulations laid out in the Bottled-In-Bond Act. I’ll get to the specifics of that in a future post. You’re not here for a history lesson. You came here for to find out how this bourbon tastes.

In the glass, Col. Taylor Small Batch has a really nice flavor. I get lots of butterscotch and caramel, but it’s not too sweet. It’s also a bit spicy. When I taste this bourbon, I know it’s high proof spirit. It’s a bit rough around the edges…mainly in the finish. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a “I’m drinking pure ethanol” burn. It’s a slow, slightly unrefined burn in the back of the mouth and throat. That’s not necessarily a turn-off. My buddy Hank finds most of Buffalo Trace’s products rough. I mostly disagree.

What’s this whiskey gonna run you? Most places have it for around $40…a little overpriced in my opinion. Luckily, I found this bottle of Col. Taylor Small Batch at Costco for $32. That’s more like it.

Pick it up if you can find it cheap, and sip while watching “Boardwalk Empire”. 8/10

Booker’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon Review

I don’t see a lot of reviews online for this monster of a bourbon, so here goes. Booker’s is produced by Jim Beam. It’s part of their Small Batch collection, which also includes Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, & Baker’s. Booker’s is named after Booker Noe, Jim Beam’s grandson and former Master Distiller at Jim Beam. Booker, like many of the older generations of master distillers, used to bottle “the good stuff” and give it out as gifts to friends and family. In the late 1980s, he decided to release it for the general public. Booker’s label says it’s bottled uncut and straight from the barrel.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first release of Booker’s, Fred Noe (Booker’s son and current Master Distiller at Jim Beam) decided to release this bourbon in very limited numbers. The bourbon inside this release is said to be among the last barrels of whiskey distilled by Booker Noe before he died.

This release is 10 years 3 months old. Normally Booker’s is 6 to 8 years old. Does the extra time in the barrel make a difference? Yes. The normal release of Booker’s is an intense experience – a concentration of wood, spice, and sweetness. This special release gives a similar experience. Even at 130.8 proof I find the extra couple of years in the aging warehouse mellow this beast out a little. That is, it’s a little smoother (if you want to use that word for whiskey) than the regular Booker’s.

This magnificent bourbon is intense when you drink it neat. A little splash of water might be recommended. I find it a little sweeter when I dilute it. I get a lot of vanilla and caramel here, whether I drink it neat or diluted.

I’ve said before I’m a sucker for great packaging. This one comes in a stained wooden box that’ll look impressive on your shelf. The bottle is dipped in a copper colored wax and has gold embossed writing. Booker’s 25th anniversary is my favorite packaging in a bourbon.

So cost… $99 a bottle. Because this is a special limited release, it’s going to be pricey. There are only 1,000 cases of this available, which means only 6,000 bottles total, period. It’s supposed to hit shelves later this month. I bet it will be pretty tough to find. Is it worth $99? Short answer: yes, if you like barrel-strength bourbon. Booker’s regular release is about $50. This one’s older and a bit more rounded in flavor. If you like Booker’s, you’ll love this release. If you’re new to barrel strength whiskey, sample Booker’s regular release first.

This is easily the best bourbon I’ve tasted from folks at Jim Beam.

Pick this one up while you can. 9.5/10

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