How WL Weller Special Reserve Compares With Other Wheated Bourbons

The bourbon world is full of styles and mash bills, but few have had the cult following of the wheated bourbons. These creamy, soft whiskeys are hailed for their lighter flavor and sweetness upon finishing. There is one bottle, and it is the most famous and desirable among them, which is the WL Weller Special Reserve.

Breaking Down the Comparison: Weller and Its Wheated Rivals

Using other major wheated bourbons on the market, we will compare WL Weller Special Reserve with them below. 

Flavor Profile: Smooth Sophistication or Bold Sweetness?

WL Weller Special Reserve features a velvety drinkable flavor with caramel and honey at the beginning, which is crowned by vanilla and slight oak. Its mash bill, wheat instead of the spicier rye traditionally used in bourbons, makes it a whole lot smoother to take a sip of.

Put this next to the likes of Maker's Mark, which is more toward the toasted oak and has a little more heat to its finish. Then you would have Larceny Small Batch with a whiskeyness of more decadent toffee and baking spice. Although they all offer the same smoothness typical in a wheated bourbon, no one seems to slide as well as Wellers Special Reserve bourbon across the tongue.

For connoisseurs seeking a distinctly deluxe flavor of wheat, Wellers 12-year bourbon offers a more seasoned profile, characterized by lower fruit notes and a richer oak element, culminating in a prolonged finish. However, this is a hard-to-find option due to its limited availability.

Aging Process: Time’s Impact on Taste

WL Weller Special Reserve has no age statement on it, with many disciples putting it to around 7 years old, though. This can give a sophisticated but youthful appearance and will keep youth without being overpowered by oak.

Weller 12 Year Bourbon, in turn, spends far more time in the cask, which makes this bourbon richer and more complex in its structure. The additional time intensifies vanilla and caramel flavors, as well as creating leathery tobacco-like notes.

Maker 46 takes a slightly more extended aging than the regular Maker Mark and is completed with seared French oak staves, giving it a different spin. The age range of Larceny is between 6 and 8 years, consistent with Weller Special Reserve, although it shows slightly lower consistency at older ages.

Availability and Price: The Hunt Is Real

The availability of WL Weller Special Reserve has turned into a game among the bourbon enthusiasts. Although one can identify it as a budget-friendly wheated bourbon at its original inception, it has more recently become a precious commodity often impossible to find, with secondary market prices soaring well above MSRP.

Conversely, Maker's Mark is not as rare and is more affordable, with little to no chase, compared to its counterpart. Larceny is also inexpensive and easy to get, and it has been providing an excellent substitute for wheat-based bourbon lovers.

The most difficult to locate, though, is Weller 12-Year Bourbon. It was produced in low quantities, causing an artificial scarcity; hence, it was a unicorn of sorts in the bourbon world. With that being said, the high taste and aging of this wine does make sense of all the hype.

Mash Bill and Distillation: The Wheat Makes the Difference

The one thing that all these bourbons do have in common is the use of wheated mash bill corn as the primary grain, wheat as the secondary grain, and malted barley wrapped that up. But the balance differs subtly between them.

The mash bill in the WL Weller Special Reserve is not revealed, although, as it is a smooth whiskey, some more weight must have been added to the wheat. Maker's Mark has a slightly fruitier tone because it is made with red winter wheat. Larceny mash bill claims a more traditional style of construction with enough grain to round off the corners.

Conclusion

If you're inspired by a desire to explore the elegant and complex world of bourbons, WL Weller Special Reserve offers one of the most appealing, adventure-like choices that doesn't fall short of more expensive or sought-after products. And once you feel prepared to track one down or fill up your shelves with other high-shelf bottles, Liquor Bar Delivery makes having the premium spirits delivered directly to your door faster and easier than ever.