Nose: (according to the wife) It seems sweet! The nose starts off with a nice helping of molasses, black sugar candies, and caramel. There’s a hint of something a lot like pear towards the end.

Palate: Mouthfeel is on the slightly fuller side, it’s also really smooth. The main note here is caramel with a slight dusting of nutmeg. It’s accompanied by banana chips and vanilla. Very flavorful, really pleasant to have.

Finish: This finish is medium in length. The nutmeg pops up again here with a nice bite of oak. Unfortunately, there is a real strong acetone/ethanol note. Thankfully, that goes away after you let the dram air out for a few minutes.

Conclusion: If Weller 12 is a less flavorful version of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Lot B, than this one would be the opposite. It’s got lots of the flavor packed in, though it isn’t particularly complex. The nose is full of some lovely sweets, the palate continues it by adding in a few banana chips. Lovely to have. There is one problem here though. Before you let this breathe for a while, there is a very strong ethanol note in the finish that’s not pleasant in the slightest. Fortunately, it sorts itself out after a few minutes of airtime. Would I buy a bottle? Yes, but not at secondary market prices.

Final Score: 81.

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American Whiskey review #22, Bourbon Review #19, Whisky Network Review #178

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.