What's the deal with Lot B???

[Rockefeller]

http://sourmashmanifesto.com/categor...gs/w-l-weller/

[Rockefeller]

I'm a long time Lot B fan. We don't talk about it much to keep it under the radar of the Van Winkle idiots. I have heard other people call it "Pappy 12-year-old."

I think that ship sailed a while ago when it started selling for $120+ on eBay

[LongBeachScott]

I think the Lot B bottles I have had are generally better than bottles of Weller 12. I rarely see it anymore though. And I am afraid it isn't enough better than Weller 12 to get me to buy it at the prices some shops are asking.

[Barclay Beach]

http://sourmashmanifesto.com/categor...gs/w-l-weller/

Jason probably says it better than I could in his review. Side by side, the Lot B is clearly superior to me. More complex, deep -- and the mouthfeel and finish are outstanding. In general, I would rate Lot B much higher if it had a better nose. In the bottles I've had the nose tends to be relatively subdued with a little the nail polish thing going on.

[boneuphtoner]

Thanks for all the comments.

The Lot B seems to be getting even better. When I did my comparison with Weller 12, it was on a bottle open for at least a month verus a freshly opened Lot B...given what I've read here and my own personal experience, that is spotting the Weller a huge advantage. In just a couple of days time, I'm sensing the Lot B is increasing what was a razor thin advantage over the Weller 12. I like the sourmash review, especially what he said about the mouthfeel. The similarities are very striking, but the Lot B seems a notch or two more refined. I would probably buy a bottle or two every year or so, but given that it is twice the price, probably not more than that.

[Special Reserve]

Thanks for all the comments.

The Lot B seems to be getting even better. When I did my comparison with Weller 12, it was on a bottle open for at least a month verus a freshly opened Lot B...given what I've read here and my own personal experience, that is spotting the Weller a huge advantage. In just a couple of days time, I'm sensing the Lot B is increasing what was a razor thin advantage over the Weller 12. I like the sourmash review, especially what he said about the mouthfeel. The similarities are very striking, but the Lot B seems a notch or two more refined. I would probably buy a bottle or two every year or so, but given that it is twice the price, probably not more than that.

As is characteristic of wheated bourbon, it does seem to get better after it has been opened for awhile.

[HP12]

As is characteristic of wheated bourbon, it does seem to get better after it has been opened for awhile.

Cosign that observation. No doubt those wheaters generally improve over the long haul once opened.

[cowdery]

Should we really believe that there's still Bernheim juice being used??

BT got a big stock of Bernheim juice in 1999 when they bought the Weller brand. It would have included barrels of varying ages, including some distilled in 1999. Being that's only 13 years ago and Lot B is a 12 years old, and there's probably still some Lot B in the pipeline that was bottled in 2011 and 2010, sure, you can probably buy a bottle that has some Bernheim in it, and it's not unreasonable to think there might be a little Bernheim left at BT. Why wouldn't there be?

[Josh]

Cosign that observation. No doubt those wheaters generally improve over the long haul once opened.

No math, please.

[White Dog]

BT got a big stock of Bernheim juice in 1999 when they bought the Weller brand. It would have included barrels of varying ages, including some distilled in 1999. Being that's only 13 years ago and Lot B is a 12 years old, and there's probably still some Lot B in the pipeline that was bottled in 2011 and 2010, sure, you can probably buy a bottle that has some Bernheim in it, and it's not unreasonable to think there might be a little Bernheim left at BT. Why wouldn't there be?

Fair enough. Maybe they're still using stocks from Bernheim. I will never know.

But would the fall 2012 Lot B release have been bottled in 2011? Maybe. Also, with Pappy 15 being all BT(We think.), and with Weller 12 being scarce, and with OWA and WSR having no age statements, would BT still be holding onto some old Bernheim stock? Maybe.

Don't get me wrong. I love both Lot B and Weller 12. Is Lot B a big step up for my palate, yes, but I would attribute that to barrel selection.

Would it be fair to say that the 2013 release of Lot Bernheim will be all BT? At some point, and that point is soon, they should change the name to Lot BT.