I bow to your superior knowledge/taster, but I beg to disagree a bit.
Being as the Weller 12 and the VW 'Lot B' are both the same juice (and age, but VW does get first pick of the barrels... which is no small thing), my last side-by-side comparison (about 2 years ago) had the Weller 12 VERY close to the 'Lot B'. Very close.
90+% of the taste for 1/3rd of the price, perhaps. It was enough to cause me to quit chasing down 'Lot B'.
My last 107 side-by-side comparison (6 years ago?) definitely skewed to the ORVW... and that was back when Weller 107 was still aged-dated at 7 years (10 for the ORVW). But even then, the Weller was close, but three more years in the wood told the tale.
Of course, YMMV.
Cheers!
Yup and yup. I remember several years ago members over on Straightbourbon.com who would watch all the cameras at BT observered barrels with the "SW" imprint on them headed to weller bottling of 12 year....that doesnt happen any more, back then most people didnt know what SW was!
The 10 year Rip Van Winkle wasnt bad either, and its been a while since I've had Lot "B" but I can remember in some ways it comparing shocking well with the Pappy 20 year Family Reserve, and that was when it was 100% SW...
Although asked several times back then, Julian would not tip his hat as to whether or not there was ANY SW in the Lot B bottles....which means, I dont know, maybe it was secret to add market force to Lot B, (Like it needs any) or there was...remember with 12 year bourbon it has to be at least 12 years, nothing is saying you cant blend something better/older with it...which was, and maybe still is the case with Lot B....no longer so with Weller 12, which sadly I havent found in over a year...just unwilling to travel the Country to find things like I used to! So, they are not (well were not) the same juice, and possibly not the same age either.
Lord (and Julian) only knows what goes in what bottles any more. My own guess is it goes in the 20 yr along with the better BT squeezins they have on hand, which queries me, as any additive must at least be 20 year for that product, and the 23 year Family Reserve to my understanding is still 100% SW...But only the good lord and Julian know for sure.
Your claim that they (12 year Weller and Lot B) are "the same juice" may very well be truer than it once was, sadly.
Russellc
You cleaned LPs with Weller 12!!!
