Weller 12 Year 2022 750mL

W.L. Weller 12 Year is Buffalo Trace's wheated Kentucky straight bourbon with a 12-year age statement, bottled at 90 proof. This bottle is from the 2022 release. Its age statement sets it apart in the regular Weller range, where most bottlings carry none.

About This Bourbon

Weller 12 is aged far longer than most wheated bourbons, and the distillery points to its deep bronze colour as a sign of that time in the barrel. It is a Kentucky straight bourbon at 45% ABV (90 proof), made from corn with wheat and malted barley. A 2022 bottling was distilled no later than 2010, since everything in it is at least 12 years old.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Lanolin, almond, creamed corn and toasty vanilla.
• Palate: Heavily wheated, layered and moderately sweet.
• Finish: Long, oaky and intensely smooth.

Serving & Food

Buffalo Trace suggests it neat or on the rocks. For neat pours, use a Glencairn at room temperature and allow a short rest. Good with roast chicken with crisp skin, pecan pie, or a plate of Marcona almonds and dried apricots.

How to Enjoy

Wheated-bourbon lovers who want age without high proof, or comparing it with the 2023 release to see how the two years differ.

Product Details

About the Distillery

The brand is named after William Larue Weller, a Kentucky whiskey man born in 1825. His idea was to use wheat as the second grain in bourbon instead of the usual rye, and his wheated bourbon is dated to 1849. Buffalo Trace says he spent much of his life explaining this new recipe to the public.

Wheat makes a gentler spirit than rye, with less peppery bite. That matters most in older bourbons, where the oak tannins would otherwise add to the dryness. Weller's approach explains why a 12-year-old wheater can taste rounder than a rye-recipe bourbon of the same age.