Weller Blend
Introduction
In this segment, I tried my hand at blending. During the Weller flight, I ranked Weller Aged 12 Years and Weller Full Proof lower than expected, because each one possessed a weakness, which the other one overcame. The 12 Year needed a higher proof, and the Full Proof needed more age. So, I decided to blend them half and half. I mixed 1 oz. of the 12 Year with 1 oz. of the Full Proof, to see if the blend would be the best mid-range Weller on the market.
Discussion
Proof is mathematical. When you blend equal parts of a 90 proof bourbon and a 114 proof bourbon, you get a 102 proof bourbon. Aging is not mathematical. When you blend equal parts of a 12 year bourbon with what’s probably a 6 to 8 year bourbon, you don’t necessarily get a 9 to 10 year bourbon. However, we’re going to pretend, because there’s no age statement. It’s probably close. Did it do the trick? Yes, indeed it did. The blend was better than either bourbon alone. The higher proof brought out more fruit and spice, cherry, orange and cinnamon. The higher age brought out more barrel notes, oak, caramel and vanilla. Indeed, it created the best mid-range Weller bourbon. Unfortunately, it’s not a real expression, but if it was real, I’d give the 102 proof, 9-10 year Weller blend a 9/10 rating. It falls just a tad bit short of the 107 proof, 10 year Van Winkle.
