Weller 12

The aromas are remarkable and rich delivering notes of cinnamon, vanilla, caramel/ butterscotch, and wood. The flavors come in distinct waves in notes of spice cake, leather, mint, vanilla, and exotic fruits. W.L. Weller: The Original Wheated Bourbon W.L. Weller is a wheated bourbon first crafted by the legendary Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company. Named after William Larue Weller — the distiller often credited as the first to use wheat instead of rye in bourbon — the brand helped shape a softer, smoother style of whiskey that would later define an entire category. Weller’s influence extends even further: he hired a young salesman named Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, who went on to build one of bourbon’s most iconic names. After Weller’s death in 1899, his company, W.L. Weller & Sons, merged with the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery — owned by none other than Van Winkle himself. The two operations weathered Prohibition under a medicinal license and officially became the Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company in 1935. When the distillery closed in 1972 during the so-called “Whiskey Recession,” its treasured recipes and brands were sold off. Today, the W.L. Weller line lives on under Sazerac, produced at the renowned Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky — home to many of America’s most beloved bourbons. So what makes Weller 12 Year so special? It shares the same mash bill and aging profile as Pappy Van Winkle Lot B, offering a rich, wheated bourbon experience at a fraction of the price. While it’s not quite Pappy, it’s an outstanding pour in its own right — deeply flavorful, beautifully balanced, and still findable. In short: Weller 12 is the “Poor Man’s Pappy,” and it’s every bit as satisfying as that sounds.