W. L. Weller 12yo (45.0%): Last week we had a great night among friends tasting a huge line-up of American whiskeys. Our roster covered bourbons of different mash bills, rye whiskeys and even a hybrid and a Canadian. I managed to save a few samples from the bottles of the night and I will be posting the tasting notes one by one in coming weeks. But now let me start with the same whiskey we started the tasting with last Friday. W. L. Weller a.k.a poor man's Pappy is distilled from a high wheat mash bill at Buffalo Trace Distillery. It is the oldest expression of regular W. L. Weller releases and bottled at 45.0% abv. Color: Deep amber, clover honey. Nose: Acetone notes up front. They fade out very quickly though after letting the whiskey air a little. Almond cream cake, marzipan and toasted oak aromas. Dried sour cherries, Mexican wedding cookies and confectioners sugar. A few drops of water get rid of all the off notes if they were any left. Flour cookies right out of the oven and artificially flavored, concentrated vanilla extract. Toasted coconut flakes and eucalyptus drops. Palate: Hotter and more vibrant you would think from a 12 year old bourbon at 45% abv. Caramel bon bons, star anise and pumpkin spice cake. Water adds fresh spearmint leaves and pine needles. Some notes resembles a thick felt scarf wrapped around my neck at a cold winter morning. Finish: Way longer than I expected but the alcohol burn on the sides of my tongue continuing after all the flavors fade out is a little too much. Overall: It is a great bourbon for a price tag around 30 bucks... Amazing deal for a 12 year old... If you are lucky enough to see a bottle on the shelves just grab it. There are not so many ones around...
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