The Wheat-Off
Wheat recipe bourbons go head to head in the ultimate taste off
What happens when seven wheated bourbons step into the heptagon to face one another? The battle will be judged on flavors, aromas, mouthfeel and, of course, accessibility. The fate of each bourbon falls on only one taster, so this tasting is entirely biased. And none will make it out alive (because I’ll drink them all).
Wheated bourbons are popular for their fruity flavors, creamy mouthfeel and exclusiveness. The mash bill contains wheat in place of rye as the flavoring grain and it’s said to result in a bourbon with less “bite”. Some wheaters are nearly impossible to find wielding marked up pricetags, while others are readily available for a bargain. And for anyone who’s talked to me about bourbon, you’ll know I could go on long rants (and often do) about this market imbalance, but that’s not what this post is about.
I found myself in possession of a decent spread of wheaters. From the accessible to the hard to get. I paid anywhere from $15-$140 for these bottles (I include MSRP and how much I paid if different below). So let’s see how they match up to one another.
Here’s what I tried in this order...
Old Fitzgerald Prime
MSRP: $12 (found online for $15)
Producer: Heaven Hill
40% ABV
Mash Bill: 68C/20W/12M
Barrel entry proof: 125/62.5% ABV
Age: 36 months
Nose: caramel corn, waxy, toasted wood, baked apples, cinnamon, grass, graham crackers, little green banana, herbal-oregano
Palate: thin skim-milk mouthfeel, red fruit, nutmeg, cinnamon, finish is a little short, but it’s really mellow
Quick thoughts: TV bourbon
Larceny
MSRP: $25 (paid $18)
Producer: Heaven Hill
46% ABV
Mash Bill: 68C/20W/12M
Barrel entry proof: 125/62.5% ABV
Age: 4+ yrs
Nose: mmm butterscotch, caramel, figs/prunes, musty, strawberry milk, sweet grass, vanilla, candy corn, weird zing
Palate: milky mouthfeel, tart fruit, nectarine, yogurt tang, pecans, caramel, clove and cinnamon, good toasted peanuts
Quick thoughts: Tasty!
David Nicholson 1843
MSRP: $25
Producer: Bottled by Luxco
50% ABV
Age: 4+ yrs
Nose: maple pancakes, cinnamon, kettle corn, wood, nougat, hay, vanilla, lots of cinnamon
Palate: thin milky mouthfeel, tangy thing, mellow, cinnamon, grass/green banana
Quick thoughts: I expected more complexity
Weller Antique 107
MSRP: $50 (paid $90)
Producer: Buffalo Trace
53.5% ABV
Barrel entry proof: 114/57% ABV
Age: 4+ (6-8) yrs
Nose: honey, caramel, toffee, rose, very sweet, baked apples with cinnamon, caramel apples, grape candy, maple
Palate: little heat and whooshing, but a creamy mouthfeel, oranges soaked in syrup, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon apple pie
Quick thoughts: Decent, lots going on
Weller Full Proof
MSRP: $50 (paid $140)
Producer: Buffalo Trace
57% ABV
Barrel entry proof: 114/57% ABV
Age: 4+ yrs
Nose: chocolate covered caramel, red delicious apples, french fries, buttery, cinnamon sugar sprinkled on tortillas with melted butter, leather
Palate: thick mouthfeel, bitter chocolate, creamy raspberry filling, strawberry cream cheese, cinnamon stick
Quick thoughts: I like a high proof!
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond Wheated Recipe
MSRP: $46 (paid $52)
Producer: Wilderness Trail
50% ABV
Mash Bill: 64C/24W/12M
Barrel entry proof: 110/55% ABV
Age: 4+ yrs
Nose: waxy, butterscotch, kettle corn, caramel popcorn, fruity
Palate: thin mouthfeel, nail polish remover astringency, cinnamon bark dryness, vanilla, caramel corn, wanted more
Quick thoughts: Not great
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 20-02
MSRP: $40
Producer: Maker’s Mark
53.2% ABV
Mash Bill: 70C/16W/14M
Barrel entry proof: 110/55% ABV
Aged: 4+ (~6) yrs
Nose: lots of caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, butterscotch, citrus
Palate: creamy mouthfeel with some tingles, floral, salted caramel, fruit-green apple, toasted oak, cinnamon, vanilla, espresso
Quick thoughts: Solid
Based on this tasting, I attempted to rank the bourbons. Note: this is based on my palate and preferences on the day of the tasting.
7. Old Fitzgerald Prime
6. Wilderness Trail
5. David Nicholson 1843
4. Larceny
3. Weller Antique
2. Maker’s Mark Cask
1. Weller Full Proof
Of course Weller Full Proof came in at number one. Not only am I a sucker for high proof whiskey, but the flavors were decadent with a creamy mouthfeel. But is it worth the $140 that I paid for it? Definitely not. Wellers are quickly turning into unicorn bottles and I was fortunate to get one from my liquor store. If I happen to stumble across a bottle close to MSRP, I’ll definitely grab it, but I wont go out of my way and pay a marked up price (again) to get it.
Speaking of Wellers, Weller Antique and Maker’s Cask were very very close, which was a pleasant surprise. Weller Antique’s flavors were more balanced, but the mouthfeel of Maker’s Cask combined with the richness edged it out. Not to mention Maker’s was half the price (can’t ignore that fact). I would gladly sip on either of them.
Out of the bunch, I was disappointed by Wilderness Trail. Perhaps it’s because I had high hopes after researching the distillery or the higher price point gave me a false sense that it’s quality would be high. But it just fell short. I will say, I have read really great things about their rye, so maybe I’ll give that a try. Also, they are a relatively new distillery and are tiny compared to Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace and Maker’s Mark, so creating a wheater that can keep up with these big guys is no easy task. Or maybe I’m giving them too many outs.
Larceny and Old Fitzy Prime are both produced by Heaven Hill and David Nicholson 1843 is rumored to originate from there as well, meaning in theory they should all have the same mash bill, yeast, distillation proof and barrel entry proof. This would leave age and bottle proof as the main variables impacting the flavors (in theory). It was no surprise that Old Fitzy Prime was beat out by the other two, but it’s definitely a good TV sipper. I think “smooth” and “drinkable” would be some vague marketing descriptors for it. Now, the nose of Davie Nicks misled me to believe I would like the flavors, but that was not the case. It was rather bland compared to the aromas that I was getting in the nose. So it was beat out by Larceny, which is a tasty bourbon that’s flavors are just as fun as the aromas.
