Redemption Wheated vs Weller Special Reserve: Which Wins?

Discover the differences between Redemption Wheated vs Weller Special Reserve in this in-depth comparison and decide which Bourbon is better for You!

Redemption Wheated

Nose	Vanilla, oak, pear
Palate	Vanilla, caramel, marshmallow
Finish	Short, caramel, spice, sour
Alcohol content	96 proof (48% ABV)
How to drink	Add water
Similar to	Redemption Bourbon, Larceny

As opposed to most wheated bourbons in the market that only carry modest amounts of wheat in the mash, the Redemption Wheated is made from a mash comprised of 45% winter wheat.

The nose is sweet and light, with hints of vanilla and pear, along a faint note of oak.

On the palate, this bourbon feels a little thin lacking in body. Flavor hits with vanilla and caramel, followed by a marshmallow hint, along a tad of oak.

The finish is short, with just a bit of warmth to it and caramel, although it becomes somewhat sour and peppery after a few sips.

Redemption Wheated is not a bad sip, but more peppery than you would expect from a wheated bourbon. It also lets you down on the finish with a sour note.

Adding water tunes down the peppery note a bit, but does nothing for that sour note.

There are a few facts worth knowing about the Redemption Wheated:

• Crafted at the MGP of Indiana Distillery famous for producing Rye Whiskey.

• Aged for 4 years in new, charred oak barrels.

• The batch numbers listed on each bottle.

• Redemption is owned by the Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits company based in White Plains, NY.

Weller Special Reserve

Nose	Maple, apple, leather, oak
Palate	Caramel, vanilla, chocolate, baking spice
Finish	Old leather, cinnamon, oak
Alcohol content	90 proof (45% ABV)
How to drink	Neat, add water
Similar to	Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Woodford Wheat

Nose is smooth and mostly sweet, rich in maple honey, apples, with some old leather and oak coming behind.

On the palate, the Special Reserve brings caramel, vanilla and cinnamon at first, followed by dark chocolate and a dash of citrus.

Finish is warming yet pleasant, somewhat dry, with lasting flavors of old leather, spicy cinnamon candy and oak spice.

Drinks nicely neat with very little to no burn, yet adding a drop of water releases sweetness, along more oak making it more tasty.

Weller Special Reserve is smooth and sweet as you would expect from a wheated bourbon. It could use more body as it feels to be lacking a bit, but overall this is a satisfying pour nonetheless.

There are a few facts worth knowing about Weller Special Reserve:

• Weller uses an undisclosed amount of wheat in the mash but likely to be around 15%.

• Weller was the first bourbon back in 1849 to add wheat to the mash as a secondary grain behind corn.

• Weller is aged anywhere from 4 to 7 years.

• Earned a Gold Medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• Weller is crafted at the Buffalo Trace Distillery along the Buffalo Trace, Pappy van Winkle, E.H. Taylor, Blanton’s, George Stagg, among others.

Redemption vs Weller: Price comparison

Prices are approximate and stated in USD:

Bourbon	Price
Redemption Wheated	$46
Weller Special Reserve	$60

Redemption Wheated vs Weller Special Reserve: Which is better?

Weller provides a better experience

Whiskey	Redemption	Weller
Nose	✅	✅
Body	✅	✅
Palate		✅
Finish		✅
Value	✅	✅

• Redemption goes well until the finish where it lets you with a sour note, while the Weller drinks nicely from nose to finish providing a more enjoyable experience.

• Weller has the right tasting notes and the smoothness you expect from a wheated bourbon with nothing offensive making a good entry-level to the Weller range of bourbons.

Redemption wheated is definitely to a Weller and much less a Pappy, but makes an upgrade over the Maker’s Mark, though, which is America’s best-selling wheated bourbon.