Vatting of the Month (VOTM) #1: SB Blend (Sept. 2015)

[BigBoldBully]

Well here it is as promised, the first VOTM (that I am aware of, at least). The famous ... the venerable ... SB Blend is in the house!

For those who have never heard of it, the SB Blend is a vatting of Weller 12yr and Old Weller Antique in keenly-contested proportions. I will leave an explication of the SB Blend’s history, and apparent original intention as an attempt to approximate Weller Centennial, to the experts.

Personally, I am grateful to have learned about it as otherwise I would not have known what to do with a too-hot bottle of OWA that crossed my bourbony path some time ago. It took a long time for Weller 12 to finally show up in these parts, but when it did I snapped up a couple of bottles and promptly mixed up a 1:1 batch of the SB Blend. Indeed, I do believe this is a vatting that strikes me on at least 8/10 nights as a drink greater than the sum of its components. The Weller 12 alone can seem a little flat and with too much of a charcoal overtone, whereas the OWA as already suggested can be brash and hot. Together, I think they strike a nice balance of silky caramel smoothness, friskiness, and restrained punch.

So much for my limited notes. Looking forward to your descriptions, impressions, preferred ratios, comparisons to similar vattings, history lessons, and whatever else you deem relevant to the SB Blend. Perhaps we will even be graced by input from the originator(s?) as we celebrate and pay homage to this iconic vatting.

P.S. Suggestions for future VOTMs or changes to how they are selected or hosted are especially welcomed in http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?24246-Vatting-of-the-month-%28VOTM%29-thread-to-start-for-September-2015/page2&highlight=votm

[OldDrinker1978]

First blend I ever tried and it's a lovely one. It sort of adds the "midrange" to the Weller 12 and adds refinement and age to OWA while dialing down its heat. Also after mingling for a month or two the woody, rum-like cigar box notes are greatly enhanced which I enjoy thoroughly I must say. I haven't much left and Weller 12 is increasingly harder to get in Germany so lately I tried the blend with 6 Parts OWA and 4 Parts VSO Fitzgerald 12 - not quite as good but also highly recommended!

[meadeweber]

My last SB Blend vatting ended up filling about half of a 750ml bottle. It went very quickly. Must have been a hole in the bottle. :grin:

Fortunately I have the components so I will mix up another batch in honor of the first VOTM (Thanks again BBB for the idea and going forward with it). Any consensus out there on how long it should "mingle" before drinking?

[fozzy71]

My last SB Blend vatting ended up filling about half of a 750ml bottle. It went very quickly. Must have been a hole in the bottle. :grin:

Fortunately I have the components so I will mix up another batch in honor of the first VOTM (Thanks again BBB for the idea and going forward with it). Any consensus out there on how long it should "mingle" before drinking?

I have had it very soon (same day?) after mingling but most seem to recommend a month or 3. The bottle I have downstairs was a small half pint or pint on July 03 then I dumped that into a 750ML and filled it up with the last of my OWA:W12 at 3:2 so it has been mingling almost 2 months now. I will probably have a small pour of it tomorrow night for my birthday then maybe again later/end of month before this thread ends.

[amg]

My last SB Blend vatting ended up filling about half of a 750ml bottle. It went very quickly. Must have been a hole in the bottle. :grin:

Fortunately I have the components so I will mix up another batch in honor of the first VOTM (Thanks again BBB for the idea and going forward with it). Any consensus out there on how long it should "mingle" before drinking?

A week should do it for mingling. Any further changes after that are probably more due to oxidation than mingling.

[Wild1z]

I keep looking for Weller 12 around these parts and I'm always late to the party. If I do happen upon it, I'll of course try this. I love WA on the rocks. It's a good summer cocktail for me. Great idea for a monthly thread btw. Kudos!

[fozzy71]

Having a small pour of this to start my birthday evening. One word (cuz I suck at notes): Delicious.

[smokinjoe]

The best thing about the SB Blend is that it gives me the opportunity to use up my Weller 12 in a very productive and enjoyable way. Otherwise, it would sit around untouched until friends who like it come over.

[fishnbowljoe]

The best thing about the SB Blend is that it gives me the opportunity to use up my Weller 12 in a very productive and enjoyable way. Otherwise, it would sit around untouched until friends who like it come over.

Very nice Joe. If you ever need any help reducing your supply of Weller 12, to quote from the movie Tombstone, "I'm your huckleberry." :grin:

Cheers! Joe

[Wild1z]

Having a small pour of this to start my birthday evening. One word (cuz I suck at notes): Delicious.

Happy Birthday!

[meadeweber]

Mixed up a large batch last night. I'm going to wait a week to sample it as was recommended by amg.

[dcbt]

I used to vat up SB Blend more often than I do now. I quit mainly because I found that the only reason I bought OWA was to vat it with W12 and somewhere along my vatting journey I made a house rule that all vats had to use stuff I would buy anyway - no going out of my way to buy a bottle just to vat. And I just don't enjoy OWA on its own like I used to.

[fozzy71]

That is a good rule to have. Makes me reconsider buying that OWA recently knowing how hard it will be to find a W12 for it....

[meadeweber]

Had a pour last night. Great stuff. Glad I mixed up a large batch.

[petrel800]

I find it to be solid, but mostly a waste of W12. Count me as one of the folks who likes his W12 with no OWA.

[JDSmith619]

I keep 50:50 vat around almost all the time as its now a regular pour in my rotation. However, I'm on my second vat of OWA/W12/Stagg Jr (at 350ml, 350ml, 150ml) and am really enjoying it.

Cant decide which I prefer at the moment, better have a sip of each tonight. Cheers to SB Blend!!

[Harry in WashDC]

While we get OWA seasonally in Washington, DC, and sometimes get Weller SR, I cannot recall seeing Weller 12 ever. Hence, the closest I could come to the SB Blend is an ersatz concoction. I did 50/50 OWA (the current bottling, not the paper label) and 1792's sweet wheat. While I do like the blend and even consider it more complex than either of its parts, I'm not sure I like using the rare 1792 sweet this way. If it becomes a regular release, I might reconsider. I also like, on occasion, OWA with a small ice cube. Again, if it weren't so hard to find locally, I think I'd make up larger batches.

That said, I prefer ryed bourbons to wheated bourbons, anyway, but I will keep a small amount of my ersatz SB Blend around if only to remind me of what I may be missing. In the meantime, I can get Larceny and Bernheim wheat whiskey, so when I am in the mood for something wheaty, I can be content with second best.

[jonhalter]

I still prefer my blend 2:1 Weller 12 heavy. I have a half bottle of 1:1 and a quarter bottle of 2:1 at the house right now. I can get the weller 12, but I havent seen the OWA in about 2 years. Good thing I enjoy W12 by itself.

[flahute]

I've tried this blend all ways and eventually came to preferring it to be W12 heavy. I think this was because I had a bottle of OWA that was pretty hot and unbalanced. My current bottle of OWA is so goos on its own that I don't want to blend it. I'm pretty fond of W12 on its own too so I currently have no SB blends in the works.

[BigBoldBully]

Thought I was about the only one who has ended up liking the SB blend W12 heavy. After trying it that way again last night, I decided I have to admit it--then here you guys are discussing the very thing. Probably due to the hotness of my OWA, as flahute's comment suggests.

[kcgumbohead]

I too had some SB blend last night and then made it an SB/OWA/W12 SBS. The OWA has the young boozy heat but its in such better balance than WSR that I find it enjoyable neat, though this was a store selection if that matters. The current W12 is from a batch that appeared after its extended absence from local shelves and I gotta tip the hat to BT on this one. Previous W12s were good but the char on the finish always took points away in my book and made it a prime vatting candidate. This latest batch keeps the char much more in check and in addition to the butterscotch and rounded presentation vs. youthful, boozy rough edge, its by far the best w12 I have had.

The SB blend (50/50) exhibits the OWA heat in a way that's a touch out of balance when vatted with the 12, I would likely prefer a W12 heavy ratio. That said I don't plan to vat anything with the remainder of this w12, all this one needs is a glass. The SB and OWA were a tie and I could see mood being the deciding factor in which one to pour. Fortunately I find all 3 enjoyable and since the Weller mania is at a point of inflating prices and less frequent sightings I doubt I will be in the market for replacements for several years.

[Paddy]

I have also found that my recent vattings (anywhere from 60/40 to 50/50, heavy either way) appear to have somewhat muted the most favorable attributes of both components of the blend.

The W12 and OWA in my current possession are both such good representations of their respective brands that I doubt my greedy palate will allow me to alter them in any way, shape or form (aside from a few drops of H2O). :grin:

[meadeweber]

I had a pour of my 50:50 last night to get another in before the end of this VOTM. I have to say it was somewhat flat for lack of a better word. Now, this certainly could be my palate. It could have been what I ate last night or that I was drinking barrel proofers the night before. I am a big fan of W12 and this was not as good as W12 last night. It has been as good or better at times in the past.

[kjbeggs]

Just under the wire, I mixed up a slight variation today.

12 oz W12

12 oz OWA 107

4 oz Old Rip 10/107

(Used most of what was left of a particularly good bottle of W12, but I've got a few more in the bunker).

Going to let it sit a few days in my Decanter, but the small pour I tried immediately was pretty good. good bit hotter than my last 60/40 (W12/OWA) experiment, but that was to be expected.

[johnnybogey]

In honor of VOTM #1, I am having a pour from a batch of 50/50 that I vatted back in March or so.

Fantastic!!!

TBH, I've gotten so caught up in trying new and different bourbons/ryes that I forgot how wonderful this blend is.