The SB Blend.... Best ratio of OWA & Weller 12???

[Tico]

I just finished off a killer bottle of the famous SB blend. 50/50 mix of OWA and Weller 12. I was about to mix up another and figured I would play with the ratio. Anyone tweaked the blend on this to come up with something a bit more interesting than 50/50?

I will be using a new release Weller 12 and a bottle of single barrel CnB OWA (8.5yrs-ish). If I do 50/50 again the final will be 10.25 yrs old and 98.5 proof, or as I like to call it, the poor mans Weller Centenial. :cool:

Edited July 4, 2012 by Tico

[Roc-A-Fella_1]

Only one way to find out...try different ratios and let us know which you think is best.

[STLbourbon]

I tried a 65% 12year to 35% OWA and that, to me, was clearly the wrong direction. Now I'm leaning 60% OWA to 40% 12 year and I'm much happier. I think I'll even lean a bit heavier on the OWA. to me there's just something alive and kickin' and exploding with flavor with the OWA. But it's young and not all that layered and deep. But just augmenting that with some age and maturity and the subtle complexity that comes with 12 years to enhance the OWA experience really does it for me. If I had to pick one or the other to drink, I tend to favor OWA, so that's probably why I'm leaning this way. I do love the blend. It's become a house favorite. And I also agree with the advice I read a while ago to leave some air in the bottle and give it at least a week or 2 for the two flavors to meld. It's really good stuff, and you just can't beat the price.

STLb

[CoMobourbon]

And I also agree with the advice I read a while ago to leave some air in the bottle and give it at least a week or 2 for the two flavors to meld. It's really good stuff, and you just can't beat the price.

STLb

Do you think the 1-2 week wait period is just generic wheater air-time improvement? Or is there really something to the melding process?

Personally, I am undecided. I've tried another vatting of rye bourbons that was good from the first day but also seemed to have maybe improved a little after 1+ week.

[sutton]

Do you think the 1-2 week wait period is just generic wheater air-time improvement? Or is there really something to the melding process?

Personally, I am undecided. I've tried another vatting of rye bourbons that was good from the first day but also seemed to have maybe improved a little after 1+ week.

Don't have a lot of experience with it myself, but I do think something is gained by letting the blend meld for a period of time. I've posted here about a really off bottle of current Old Fitz BiB that I was thinking of tossing down the drain. It had a very weird and dominating off-note of earthy, herbally, cooked asparagus. I saw something on Ralfy's blog about saving a bad whisky, and thought I'd give it a try. It was a 1L bottle a little more than 1/3 gone. I put in two tablespoons of medium-amber maple syrup, the last 4 oz or so of a Cinzano red vermouth, and topped it off with Maker's Mark. It made the Old Fitz tolerable; but tasted a bit like a slightly off bourbon Manhattan.

After a couple of months, it was really transformed. The flavors are now very integrated - that off-note is very much in the background, wrapped in the maple flavor without being overly sweet, and only emerges on the finish. As a matter of fact, they kind of remind me of celery bitters.

Kind of reminded me of how a barreled Manhattan tasted more "together" than making my own ... of course, hard to separate the tastes from the context in which you are having the drink - which I'm sure influences my impressions.

[CoMobourbon]

Don't have a lot of experience with it myself, but I do think something is gained by letting the blend meld for a period of time. I've posted here about a really off bottle of current Old Fitz BiB that I was thinking of tossing down the drain. It had a very weird and dominating off-note of earthy, herbally, cooked asparagus. I saw something on Ralfy's blog about saving a bad whisky, and thought I'd give it a try. It was a 1L bottle a little more than 1/3 gone. I put in two tablespoons of medium-amber maple syrup, the last 4 oz or so of a Cinzano red vermouth, and topped it off with Maker's Mark. It made the Old Fitz tolerable; but tasted a bit like a slightly off bourbon Manhattan.

After a couple of months, it was really transformed. The flavors are now very integrated - that off-note is very much in the background, wrapped in the maple flavor without being overly sweet, and only emerges on the finish. As a matter of fact, they kind of remind me of celery bitters.

Kind of reminded me of how a barreled Manhattan tasted more "together" than making my own ... of course, hard to separate the tastes from the context in which you are having the drink - which I'm sure influences my impressions.

Of course the problem is always sample size. To really form an educated opinion about vatting, even if only with reference to yourself, you would have to taste many different vattings of many categorical varieties at regular intervals. And frankly, I don't have the discipline, not to mention the resources, to ever follow through with that kind of study.

Still, it's really interesting to hear about other people's experiences and grow one's sample base that way. I'm not much for mixed drinks, but I will have to give that mass pre-mixed Manhattan-esque stuff a try when I get a chance. Although I do wonder about how the integration of sugar in whiskey relates to the integration of whiskey in whiskey; I would think that it might work differently.

[Tico]

I went with. 60/40 of OWA and Weller 12. I really do believe that it gets better after a few weeks or marrying time.

[JPBoston]

Been wanting to try this for a long time... but my local Total Wine has been out of Weller 12 stock for awhile, and doesn't expect more until November. Bummer.

[MyOldKyDram]

I have several Weller 12s, just need to get an OWA and give this a whirl.

[dridge11]

Today, Tico and I compared his 60-CnB OWA / 40-W12 to my 50-OWA / 50-W12 and the results were staggering.

They are different, but both delicious. Then I poured them together and that was also different and delicious.

I think which blend you prefer is like trying to decide which Victoria's Secret Model to sleep with. Several options, you may prefer one, but there are no bad choices.

[Tico]

Today, Tico and I compared his 60-CnB OWA / 40-W12 to my 50-OWA / 50-W12 and the results were staggering.

They are different, but both delicious. Then I poured them together and that was also different and delicious.

I think which blend you prefer is like trying to decide which Victoria's Secret Model to sleep with. Several options, you may prefer one, but there are no bad choices.

Amen to that!!!!

[Bmac]

In regards to waiting the two weeks for the blend to take shape isn't about air time (unless you are exposing it to air) It's about excited flavor particles. It's akin to adding a splash of water to scotch. The esters and flavor particles separate and then settle back down into new bonds. When the two whiskeys meet, it's the same.

As far as ratio goes on Weller vs OWA it's smooth-wood vs hot-sweet. Figure your ratio from there

[MyOldKyDram]

I just made my first SB 50/50 blend on Wednesday. Trying to hold out for at least a week before I sample it.

[Ejmharris]

I just made my first SB 50/50 blend on Wednesday. Trying to hold out for at least a week before I sample it.

Sample it now and then after it has had some air.

[MyOldKyDram]

I think I can probably manage that tonight.

[soonami]

Need to find some Weller 12 in the Mid-Atlantic to try this. Only a little left in the open bottle

[MyOldKyDram]

Enjoying it right now and it's quite delicious, after just a few days. Really beats the pants off of either bourbon individually IMO. Seems so simple, and it is I guess, marrying the two and bringing the best of both of their worlds together. Will be interested to see what changes a week or two brings.

[Roc-A-Fella_1]

Enjoying it right now and it's quite delicious, after just a few days. Really beats the pants off of either bourbon individually IMO. Seems so simple, and it is I guess, marrying the two and bringing the best of both of their worlds together. Will be interested to see what changes a week or two brings.

I enjoyed some for the first time last night, also after just a few days. As I indicated in the What Are You Drinking thread, there wasn't much of a nose initially, but after periodically shaking the bottle in attempts to better meld the blend, the nose became much more expressive.

[GaryT]

I'm preparing to do a small comparative test with just a few ounces in some empty half-pints. Going to try 50/50 mix (1.5 ounces of each), and a 60(OWA)/40(W12) mix (1.5 ounces of OWA and 1 ounce of W12). The hardest thing will be waiting until next weekend to taste them! This is the first Weller 12 I've come across (and I didn't even taste it yet!), so next weekend I look forward to facing not only these two blends off - but throwing in the OWA and W12 straight. If nothing else, it'll be a fun hour next Sunday!

[GaryT]

I found that I definitely preferred the 60/40 ratio with 60 OWA/40 W12 over the 50/50 split. I was a bit surprised by the difference! When compared to the OWA and W12, I did think that the 60/40 captured that synergy of being greater than the sum of its parts. I like both the OWA and W12 by themselves (although I like the analogy dridge11 made between two Victoria Secret's models - different, but one isn't necessarily "better" than the other), but I definitely enjoyed the 60/40 better than either by itself.

What surprised me is that the 60/40 seemed to have less bite than the 50/50, despite having more of the OWA (which has more bite than W12 on its own). I found that to be counter-intuitive - but agreed not to argue with my tastebuds :cool:

[Young Guns]

This is a great idea that I had never considered before. I love OWA, and have yet to try the W12, but I think this will be something I will try when I grab a bottle of W12.

[fishnbowljoe]

I'm gonna post here just to bump this up, and......... If I have some time in the next few days or so, I just might start working on my next special Weller vatting. :bigeyes: I've got an 09 WLW, some Weller SR, and a SW Old Fitz Prime amongst other things that I might try and work with this time. :yum:

[ChainWhip]

I've got a vatting of WLW'05:OWA:W12 (2:1:1) that's delicious.

[T Comp]

Taking a cue from an Oscar post a few days ago I went 2/3 Weller 12 (bottled 2007 and delicious with no soot that has creeped in to current versions) and 1/3 of another beaut, a 9 year OWA SB. The sum was equal to and different but not greater than its parts.

[JPBoston]

I'm a big fan of the 3:1, maybe leaning to 3:2, ratio of OWA to W12 myself.