Similar Bourbons to Weller

Last Updated on: 2nd May 2024, 08:53 pm

J Highland

J Highland is a certified sommelier with 30 years in the liquor industry, owning a pub, a liquor store, and moonlighting as a spirits distiller.

Written by: J Highland

Choosing the Best Alternatives to Weller

This guide explores exceptional wheated bourbons, each a worthy alternative to Weller, catering to a range of tastes:

The Budget-Friendly Weller:

• Larceny: Offers a sweet and wheaty profile reminiscent of Weller, with notes of banana bread, caramel, and oak. While not as smooth as some Wellers, its affordability makes it a great everyday sipper.

The Everyday Wheated Delight:

• Bernheim: A pioneering wheat whiskey with a smooth and sweet taste profile. Features caramel, bread crust, and subtle oak, making it a pleasant and affordable choice for Weller enthusiasts.

The Weller Barrel Proof Contender:

• Larceny Barrel Proof: For those seeking Weller's complexity at a higher proof, Larceny Barrel Proof delivers. Initially intense, it reveals creamy vanilla, clove, and baking spice with a long finish of cherry, tobacco, and oak. A touch of water unlocks additional depth.

The Smooth & Bready Alternative:

• Woodford Reserve Wheat: This wheated bourbon boasts a pronounced bread-like character due to its high wheat content. Expect a creamy palate with notes of cherry, brioche, brown sugar, and baking spice, leading to a smooth finish with lingering vanilla and apple.

The Bold & Oaky Choice:

• Garrison Brothers: A wheated bourbon for oak lovers. This bold spirit offers a unique taste profile with pronounced oak, grass, cinnamon, and maple. While not for the faint of heart, it's a delight for those who enjoy assertive oak flavors.

The Enhanced Maker's Mark:

• Maker's Mark 46: Similar to Weller in its use of wheat, Maker's Mark 46 offers a richer and more complex version of the classic. Seared French oak staves boost oak and vanilla notes, creating a taste profile of oak, cherry, and caramel with a lingering spicy finish.

The Uncut Maker's Mark Powerhouse:

• Maker's Mark Cask Strength: This uncut and cask-strength version of Maker's Mark delivers a powerful yet familiar experience. Expect amplified notes of cherry, oak, vanilla, and baking spice, offering a bolder and richer version of the classic for true fans.

Choosing your perfect Weller substitute depends on your priorities. Consider the wheated profile, taste notes, smoothness level, price point, and availability. With so many excellent options available, you can embark on a delightful wheated whiskey journey that goes far beyond Weller.

Quick Note: Running a pub and liquor store provides me ample access to various spirits, in addition, I moonlight as a spirits distiller. I assess them using customer feedback, expert opinions and online research.

Quick Look at Similar Bourbons to Weller

Prices are approximate and stated in USD:

Larceny: A Wheated Bourbon with Everyday Appeal

• Nose: Banana bread, vanilla, butterscotch
• Palate: Banana, caramel, oak
• Finish: Caramel, oak spice
• Alcohol content: 92 proof (46% ABV)
• How to drink: Add water

Larceny, a wheated bourbon aged 6-12 years, offers a budget-friendly alternative to smoother options like Weller 12. It boasts enticing aromas of banana bread and caramel, with a taste that follows suit. Though initially warm, it mellows to reveal sweetness and spice, with a thin body. A touch of water enhances its smoothness and sweetness.

Larceny delivers good value for its price, with the sweet wheated notes common in the Weller line of bourbons making it a great choice for everyday enjoyment, states whiskey expert Neil Coleman.

Bernheim: A Pioneering Wheat Whiskey for Everyday Enjoyment

• Nose: Caramel, honey, cinnamon
• Palate: Caramel, bread crust, nutmeg, oak
• Finish: Medium, caramel, bread
• Alcohol content: 90 proof (45% ABV)
• How to drink: Add water

Made with a unique mash bill heavy on winter wheat (51%), Bernheim stands out from wheated bourbons. Its nose entices with caramel and honey sweetness alongside a hint of cinnamon. The taste leans smooth and sweet, with caramel leading the way, followed by bread and subtle oak. While the body is a bit thin, the finish is decently long with lingering caramel and a bready note.

Bernheim offers a pleasant, affordable option for everyday sipping, perfect for those seeking a wheated whiskey experience akin to Weller.

Larceny Barrel Proof: Beyond the Heat Lies Complexity

• Nose: Vanilla, oak
• Palate: Oak char, vanilla, caramel, clove, baking spice
• Finish: Long, cherry, tobacco, oak
• Alcohol content: 124 proof (62% ABV)
• How to drink: Add water

Larceny Barrel Proof reveals its secrets with a subtle nose of vanilla and oak. The initial heat quickly transitions to a pleasing spice, followed by creamy vanilla and a hint of clove. The oily mouthfeel enhances the rich flavors, leading to a long finish with warming cherry, tobacco, and oak.

While the clove might not please everyone, a touch of water unlocks another dimension - vanilla morphing into Graham Cracker notes. The enduring warmth and complexity solidify Larceny Barrel Proof as a top contender for your single barrel whiskey collection.

Woodford Reserve Wheat: Bread Forward, Smooth Finish

• Nose: Oak, bread, cinnamon, apple
• Palate: Cherry, bread, brown sugar, baking spice, oak
• Finish: Cinnamon, apple, oak spice
• Alcohol content: 90 proof (45% ABV)
• How to drink: Add water

Woodford Reserve Wheat stands out with 52% wheat in its mash bill, creating a pronounced bread-like character.

The nose offers classic Woodford oak with a twist - delicate hints of bread and spiced apples. The creamy palate explodes with sweetness: cherries, brioche, brown sugar, and baking spices with a touch of oak. The finish is surprisingly dry, leaving a lasting impression of cinnamon, apple, and oak. This drier finish might differ from other Woodford Reserves, so keep that in mind.

Overall, Woodford Wheat delivers a smooth, sippable experience with lingering vanilla and apple notes, making it great neat or on the rocks.

Garrison Brothers: Bold Wheat Bourbon for Oak Lovers

• Nose: Oak, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar
• Palate: Oak, grass, cinnamon, maple syrup
• Finish: Long, oak spice, fruity
• Alcohol content: 94 proof (47% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Garrison Brothers uses a unique mash bill (74% wheat) to create a bold wheated bourbon.

The nose starts oaky, transitioning to vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The taste is oak-forward with spice and manageable heat. Hints of grass, cinnamon, and maple emerge. The long finish showcases oak spice with a touch of banana. Water amplifies maple but intensifies the oak throughout.

This is not an easygoing sipper; for those who love pronounced oak flavors, Garrison Brothers is a delight.

Maker's Mark 46: Wheated Bourbon with Enhanced Oak

• Nose: Oak, cherry, vanilla, fruity notes
• Palate: Oak, cherry, vanilla, caramel
• Finish: Medium-length, oak, cherry, spice
• Alcohol content: 94 proof (47% ABV)
• How to drink: Add water

Like Weller Maker's Mark 46 uses wheat for smoothness. But 46 gets an upgrade! Seared French oak staves boost oak and vanilla notes, creating a richer, more complex version of the classic. Expect aromas of oak, caramel, and vanilla, followed by a rich oak taste that transitions to vanilla, cherry, and caramel. The finish is long with lingering oak, cherry, and spice.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength: Uncut Power, Uncompromising Flavor

• Nose: Cherry, vanilla, oak
• Palate: Oak, vanilla, cherry, baking spice
• Finish: Pleasantly warm, cherry, oak spice
• Alcohol content: 114 proof (57% ABV)
• How to drink: Add water

Maker's Mark Cask Strength dials up the classic. Bottled straight from the barrel, it packs a punch but retains familiar sweetness. Expect a nose of cherry, vanilla, oak, and tobacco. The taste is creamy with warmth, offering oak, vanilla, cherry, and baking spice. The finish intensifies the heat and oak, balanced by spice. It's a bolder, richer Maker's Mark - the ultimate expression for fans.

Criteria for Selecting Weller-like Bourbons:

• Wheated Mash: Bourbons must use wheat as a primary grain, mimicking Weller's signature mash bill.
• Flavor Profile: A rich bready flavor accompanied by complementary tasting notes.
• Smoothness: The bourbon should offer a velvety texture similar to Weller.
• Diverse Price Points: Selections range from budget-friendly to premium options.
• Reputation and Reviews: Bourbons with positive feedback and comparable mentions to Weller.
• Availability: Preference for relatively easy bourbons for consumers to find and purchase.