Recently got this in a surprise raffle that was held at a tasting I went to. Not a bad parting gift after tasting the full line of van winkle bourbons (2019). This however was the 2018 bottling, where a bottle like this has been for a year is beyond me, but it's mine and properly opened now. For fun in this review I've also poured a weller 107 as I don't have a 12 and my CYPB is off on loan to be picked up in the morning. Loaned it to a friend to do a youtube review. Anyway, I have had so many people try and tell me that Weller is comparable and frankly, I've never really seen it. There are similarities, but these tasting panels aren't idiots. Nose - Very sweet and fruity in nature. There's vanilla and certainly some oak but the overall profile is much more on the fruity and almost citrus notes with the vanilla and oak there to remind you it is bourbon. As you really dig in you get tobacco and spices. It's really nice nose. A very classic wheated bourbon note and really just buffalo trace in general. The 107 by contrast isn't nearly as aromatic to start with. It's far more spice and yes there is a similar wheated note and you do have the buffalo trace oak elements there. Still it lacks the complex and nuanced notes of the Lot B (which as it seems must always be pointed out, it's not part of the Pappy line, it's the reject). Taste - I should point out having had the 2019 and 2018 both in the same day, it was pretty clear that there were some clear differences between the two. the 2018 is a lot more bold while the 19 was much more refined and calm, I'm rather ok with both but would lean towards the 2018 more often than not. The 2018 brings oak and vanilla and spice together. It does have some astringent character and it doesn't shock me at all that they felt these barrels were no longer able to take additional aging. The 107 bring in a bit more sweetness, turns to what I find a bit of a muted and waxed over caramel, and then has this very distinct "weller" oak and vanilla note. It's a bit of younger oak (you don't get this on the 12 as much but it has some similarities). While the weller is this sweet and almost waxy bourbon, the van winkle lot b is more refined, more a cigar bourbon, and while still a dessert more of a french over the top heavy cream type, though being lot b, this is what you'd find at the so so bakery, not the good one. Overall, the lot b is a very good bourbon and one I've always really enjoyed for the money. I used to buy this for about 60 bucks 10 years ago and the price really hasn't moved with it going for 75 now. It's not the old stizel weller which was better, but the buffalo van winkle 12 year lot b remains a high quality bourbon well worth a place on your self and it drinks every bit as well as many of these recent "craft" and "sourced" 100 dollar bourbons. It of course would be nice if they'd bottle this at a higher proof. As for the roots to weller, certainly you'll get another wheater with some similar oak character, but there are distinct elements of a weller that they intentionally avoid in these bottles. While a store pick might be more on profile of the lot b, the standard batched products are clearly different and in my view clearly less refined and complex, but you might like their more bold sweetness and less "cigar" pairing qualities. I'm scoring this a respectable 2.5 stars, above average (my 2 star rating) but certainly not one you need to seek out (around where a 3.0 score would be if you're a bourbon lover). I don't get the hype or the secondary for this stuff, but it's a nice and enjoyable bottle for 75 bucks.