Weller 12 Year Bourbon

Dark, verging on burnt caramel, slight vanilla, rich lingering oak and a warm floral spice burn. It benefits from a little water. Like Maker's 46 is to Maker's Mark this is more robust, less sweet than Weller Special Reserve. More caramelization/char. Also similar, more robust than Blanton's. Dark and heavy for my taste but still an excellent deal at $46 in Ontario, if your lucky enough to find a bottle.

Sweet juicy fruit, vanilla, and dry cereal on the nose. Vanilla and sweet mush with a little banana bread. Light oak on the tongue for a 12 year old, but that builds (with a little rye spice and pepper) in a long finish. Rich and easy sipping, but I was hoping this to be more complex at 12 years--more depth of flavor from 12 yrs in oak in the finish. That's not a damning with faint praise line, but maybe my expectations were unrealistic for a wheated bourbon. This has grown on me revisiting this over the last two+years. Seems better, more complex and assertive each time. #DAD would appreciate this gift any day of the year, so don't wait. New bottle, July 2022, re-tasting. Remarkably similar impressions. More cherry and vanilla notes, and still looking for a little more tannic oak depth in the finish. It's a 45 ABV wheated bourbon, soft and rounder than not.