Tastes

I went with a co-worker to have a glass of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year Bourbon, which I will rate on its own page. When we accomplished our mission we noticed another intriguing bottle on the shelf: W.L. Weller 12 Year Bourbon. And let me tell you, as of this post, this is the second best bourbon to ever enter my mouth. I immediately wanted to hug the bottle with my entire body. It's smoother than any drink I can recall enjoying in my life thus far. No burn at all. When folks call it a "poor man's Pappy," they aren't kidding. It felt just like a glass of Pappy's 12 Year, which coincidentally is my favorite bourbon. If you see this on a shelf near you, buy it and thank me later. It's amazing. Life-altering at it's price point. You didn't know bourbon could be this good for less than $100.

At approximately $55 USD per bottle here in New Hampshire, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is one of my two favorite any day bourbons to keep in stock in my home. It is really smooth, on the verge of sensual as it passes your lips and softens your pallet with silky warmth. I personally feel no burn drinking this bourbon neat. I highly recommend this bourbon to anyone looking to try a high quality glass at a more than reasonable cost. It's thrilling cheap sex in a bottle.

I don't like the 5 star rating system. I much prefer at least a 10 point system, as I would rate this bottle a 7/10, but I can't give it 4 stars, as it's decent, but not equivalent to an 8/10. I drank this bourbon by accident. I asked the bartender for a glass of the double oaked and he poured this instead. He offered to replace my drink for no charge, but I could not let a glass of bourbon simply go to waste. For the cost, it's pretty good. Better than swill such as Maker's Mark. It's much more mild than I expected. I didn't take notes about flavors. I enjoy it more than the Master's Collection Cherry Wood Smoked Barley from the same producer at three times the cost.

With a cost at approximately $100 USD here in New Hampshire, you would be better off with Woodford Reserve's Double Oaked or a bottle of Blanton's Original Single Barrel for approximately half of the cost. With that said, this is by no means a terrible bourbon. It's easy to drink neat with no chaser. The smoke flavor is noticeable, but not overpowering. There is just very little that stands out and even less to celebrate with this mediocre spirit for the cost.