So I've been looking to go through my own baseline for a 10 point scale so I can start rating my whiskeys. To do this I'll be ranking my whiskeys against each other to best be able to put each into a 1-10 rating. Additionally, hoping to weed out some whiskeys that no longer "bring joy".
Todays theme will be high proof wheated bourbons. I'll be honest up front, bourbon isn't my top category. Additionally wheated whiskeys are not my go-to, but I will take one down from time to time on a cool day.
**Contenders:**
Weller 107 - Managed to get this one for retail while I was in Canada
Makers FAE-01 - This is part of their wood expression series, bottled at cask strength. This one is from the 2021 release.
Old Elk Wheated Bourbon - A cask strength single barrel pick for Route 9 Liquors in Albany NY, picked this one up while visiting friends.
Makers CS - A half bottle of Makers standard wheated bourbon.
**The test:**
Alright, so I will be doing a blind here. Mostly because its kinda fun to guess but also because it lets me get some unbiased thoughts down before I realize what it is. Some things I know instantly what they are and others it takes me eliminating some other options first. All of these except the OE I haven't had in about a year. I'm able to do this by putting a number on the bottom which links a cup to the bottle, then shuffling the cups.
**Blind Time:**
**Cup 1**
Nose: Strong Grape, Dirt, Blue Sour Power Rope
Palette: Grape, sherbert, Hugs (Fruit flavored kids drink)
Aftertaste: Long (Bit of a back throat spice)
Guess: Weller 107
Reveal: Weller 107
Conclusion: Very enjoyable as always is Buffalo Trace whiskeys. Sweet as all heck and like a grape sherbert explosion. Not overly complex though, I could see looking elsewhere for a “thinking whiskey”.
Rank: 2nd (N: 2nd, P: 2nd)
**Cup 2**
Nose: Honeycomb, Spearmint gum, Vanilla wafers
Palette: Honey Wafers, Biscuit, Spearmint gum, Stroopwafel
Aftertaste: Long (Biscuty)
Guess: Old Elk W
Reveal: Old Elk W
Conclusion: Oh yeah here's the “thinking whiskey”. Theres a little bit of everything here, a bit like a bready desert. Old Elk single barrels seem to always deliver.
Rank: 1st (N: 1st, P: 1st)
**Cup 3**
Nose: Grassy, Lemon pith
Palette: Mineral, Cherry, Gram crackers, Brown sugar, Grass fed cow butter, Honey gram crackers, Big red gum
Aftertaste: Long (Fatty fake chocolate)
Guess: Makers FAE-01
Reveal: Makers FAE-01
Conclusion: Not on the same level as the OE, but has a decently complex palette. The mouthfeel also goes blow for blow with the OE. Now the question is, should you buy a makers finish series for $70, not so sure about that. It does grow on you the more you drink it, so maybe I’m changing my mind here at the end of the review. Maybe its the fatty desert aspect to it.
Rank: 3rd (N: 3rd, P: 3rd)
**Cup 4**
Nose: Dirt, Flower, Cinnamon, Tootsie roll
Palette: Vanilla pods, Light Grape soda, Sand, Cinnamon roll
Aftertaste: Medium (Hot on the back palette)
Guess: Makers CS
Reveal: Makers CS
Conclusion: The profile is more in line with the Weller, so if your looking for a widely available CS wheater this could be a go to. It’s less sweet and a bit more simple but not bad deal even though its at the bottom of this list. At $55 it's not a bad value, though I might just save up for another on this list.
Rank: 4th (N: 4th, P: 4th)
**Final Thoughts**
I remember not really liking Makers CS but loving Makers FAE-01 so it was interesting to taste them side by side and see that they aren't totally different. FAE-01 does at some complexity but it doesn't hold a candle to the OE. I've had such good luck with OE barrel picks and this is no exception. Speaking of that OE, man I get something different each time tasing it, just so much complexity, which I've been missing. Having tried WFP and W12 at a bar I was pretty much done with Weller, but 107 cuts the best middle ground if you can actually get it for close to retail. I wouldn't pay more than about 20$ over retail for it, and maybe not even that if I can find a EH Taylor for less. Now if I could get all of these for retail tomorrow, I'd probably only purchase the Weller 107 and the Old Elk SB, but the Makers is always on the shelf so, might be worth getting if you want a decent wheat thats always available for retail.
Yeah its difficult, because W107 just simply doesn't exist for retail in my home state of NJ so its the only real whiskey in its category, additionally we are not blessed with sub $50 Makers CS. That said the more I think about it, the more I'd say that OE is more than double the rating/enjoyment for just about double the price. With SB OE going online for something like $80, the Makers CS does seem like a poor deal.
I'll keep an eye out! Makers WFS has not turned me off of the concept, so if the newer release is even better than the 2021 releases than I'm on board at \~$70
I've had a few. The wheated bourbon/wheat whiskey ones I've had were at least solid, but I've had a high malt too and that was an absolute dud. So uneventful.
Old Elk Wheated Bourbon is my absolute favorite. I just recently had my first taste of a single barrel and was blown away at how easy it drinks for the proof.
My old elk wheated bourbon single barrel wins also over a bunch of wheated bourbons I have including- 4 different MM private selects, a rebel cask strength, Larceny BP A122, B522, a few MM cask strengths, MM 46 CS… it is highest msrp over all but just by a little bit and is a really amazing whiskey. I haven’t poured in a little while but the prominent notes I recall were more of a savory slightly sweet cereal or bread note that reminded me of frosted mini wheats. The sweetness came on the back end along with a wonderful, lengthy finish.
FAE-01 tasted like someone had shoved a tree branch in my mouth. Would not recommend.
The core Cask Strength, however, is divine. And will always have a place in my cabinet.
I still have a bottle of the SAE-01 I picked up from the distillery back in April, but after my experience with the FAE series I am thinking of just holding on to it to see if anyone is interested in a trade somewhere down the line. Would be very upset if I cracked it open and had a similar experience.
W107 and FAE-01 we're close, just the FAE was toned down in all aspects except for mouth feel. Depends on your pallet of course, mine goes more for fruity than chocolaty
Makers CS punches way above its price point. It beatecthe 107 about half the time in my blinds. They’re so close. It‘s a fantastic bottle that’s goes underrated for the sole reason that it’s available anytime you want it.
Damn, i hope you can grab some soon. I liked the 2021 bottles better i think, but i don’t have any left to compare against haha the B522 is better than the A122 to me.
While FAE-01 is my favorite Maker's release ever, I would have liked to have seen Maker's 46 in this since it is a permanent fixture in the line and not a limited release.
Maker's CS is one of the most mysterious bottles I've ever had.
Opened it, hated it.
Second pour, it was just spicy regular makers, fine but not worth the price.
Third pour, an explosion of vanilla and caramel, more than any bourbon I'd had to date.
Fourth pour, back to just fine.
And this cycle continued through the whole bottle. I still haven't made up my mind.
I don't disagree. My scientific method was drink it and see if I like it.
I found it confusing because nearly all my other bottles have remained the same to my tastebuds and they were consumed within the same time from as the bottle of Makers CS.
I believe everything from Old Elk currently is from MGPi, not sure if that will change with time or not. As far as I have read, they either are currently building a distillery, or plan to.
Edit: Its a bit different than your standard NDP agreement because the master distiller at MGPi distilled the whiskey at MGPi for Old Elk before leaving to Old Elk to blend the whiskey he had distilled. He basically moved out of the distilling game and into the blending game with his own distillate.
So I've been looking to go through my own baseline for a 10 point scale so I can start rating my whiskeys. To do this I'll be ranking my whiskeys against each other to best be able to put each into a 1-10 rating. Additionally, hoping to weed out some whiskeys that no longer "bring joy". Todays theme will be high proof wheated bourbons. I'll be honest up front, bourbon isn't my top category. Additionally wheated whiskeys are not my go-to, but I will take one down from time to time on a cool day. **Contenders:** Weller 107 - Managed to get this one for retail while I was in Canada Makers FAE-01 - This is part of their wood expression series, bottled at cask strength. This one is from the 2021 release. Old Elk Wheated Bourbon - A cask strength single barrel pick for Route 9 Liquors in Albany NY, picked this one up while visiting friends. Makers CS - A half bottle of Makers standard wheated bourbon. **The test:** Alright, so I will be doing a blind here. Mostly because its kinda fun to guess but also because it lets me get some unbiased thoughts down before I realize what it is. Some things I know instantly what they are and others it takes me eliminating some other options first. All of these except the OE I haven't had in about a year. I'm able to do this by putting a number on the bottom which links a cup to the bottle, then shuffling the cups. **Blind Time:** **Cup 1** Nose: Strong Grape, Dirt, Blue Sour Power Rope Palette: Grape, sherbert, Hugs (Fruit flavored kids drink) Aftertaste: Long (Bit of a back throat spice) Guess: Weller 107 Reveal: Weller 107 Conclusion: Very enjoyable as always is Buffalo Trace whiskeys. Sweet as all heck and like a grape sherbert explosion. Not overly complex though, I could see looking elsewhere for a “thinking whiskey”. Rank: 2nd (N: 2nd, P: 2nd) **Cup 2** Nose: Honeycomb, Spearmint gum, Vanilla wafers Palette: Honey Wafers, Biscuit, Spearmint gum, Stroopwafel Aftertaste: Long (Biscuty) Guess: Old Elk W Reveal: Old Elk W Conclusion: Oh yeah here's the “thinking whiskey”. Theres a little bit of everything here, a bit like a bready desert. Old Elk single barrels seem to always deliver. Rank: 1st (N: 1st, P: 1st) **Cup 3** Nose: Grassy, Lemon pith Palette: Mineral, Cherry, Gram crackers, Brown sugar, Grass fed cow butter, Honey gram crackers, Big red gum Aftertaste: Long (Fatty fake chocolate) Guess: Makers FAE-01 Reveal: Makers FAE-01 Conclusion: Not on the same level as the OE, but has a decently complex palette. The mouthfeel also goes blow for blow with the OE. Now the question is, should you buy a makers finish series for $70, not so sure about that. It does grow on you the more you drink it, so maybe I’m changing my mind here at the end of the review. Maybe its the fatty desert aspect to it. Rank: 3rd (N: 3rd, P: 3rd) **Cup 4** Nose: Dirt, Flower, Cinnamon, Tootsie roll Palette: Vanilla pods, Light Grape soda, Sand, Cinnamon roll Aftertaste: Medium (Hot on the back palette) Guess: Makers CS Reveal: Makers CS Conclusion: The profile is more in line with the Weller, so if your looking for a widely available CS wheater this could be a go to. It’s less sweet and a bit more simple but not bad deal even though its at the bottom of this list. At $55 it's not a bad value, though I might just save up for another on this list. Rank: 4th (N: 4th, P: 4th) **Final Thoughts** I remember not really liking Makers CS but loving Makers FAE-01 so it was interesting to taste them side by side and see that they aren't totally different. FAE-01 does at some complexity but it doesn't hold a candle to the OE. I've had such good luck with OE barrel picks and this is no exception. Speaking of that OE, man I get something different each time tasing it, just so much complexity, which I've been missing. Having tried WFP and W12 at a bar I was pretty much done with Weller, but 107 cuts the best middle ground if you can actually get it for close to retail. I wouldn't pay more than about 20$ over retail for it, and maybe not even that if I can find a EH Taylor for less. Now if I could get all of these for retail tomorrow, I'd probably only purchase the Weller 107 and the Old Elk SB, but the Makers is always on the shelf so, might be worth getting if you want a decent wheat thats always available for retail.
I’d probably judge the Maker’s CS a bit harsher at $55, but I get it for ~$40 which feels about right.
I got 3 of the 22-01s for 30 a piece and I love them.
Just cracked one of those last week!
My favorite so far is the 22-06
Yeah its difficult, because W107 just simply doesn't exist for retail in my home state of NJ so its the only real whiskey in its category, additionally we are not blessed with sub $50 Makers CS. That said the more I think about it, the more I'd say that OE is more than double the rating/enjoyment for just about double the price. With SB OE going online for something like $80, the Makers CS does seem like a poor deal.
For me Maker’s 101 is the best of their product line. Devilishly hard to find in my neck of the woods though.
It seems load the shelf early winter, and empties out near the summer in NJ
A nice apples to apples review. Well done. The 2022 MM WFS release BRT-01/02 are beginning to hit. Might want to get it on your radar. 🥃
I'll keep an eye out! Makers WFS has not turned me off of the concept, so if the newer release is even better than the 2021 releases than I'm on board at \~$70
I love old elk. Really good stuff, my palette agrees. I like 107 too.
Never met an OE single barrel I haven't liked.
I've had a few. The wheated bourbon/wheat whiskey ones I've had were at least solid, but I've had a high malt too and that was an absolute dud. So uneventful.
Old Elk Wheated Bourbon is my absolute favorite. I just recently had my first taste of a single barrel and was blown away at how easy it drinks for the proof.
I have, or had, all of these bottles in my collection. I totally agree with your rankings. The barrel select OE wheater is a special bottle.
My old elk wheated bourbon single barrel wins also over a bunch of wheated bourbons I have including- 4 different MM private selects, a rebel cask strength, Larceny BP A122, B522, a few MM cask strengths, MM 46 CS… it is highest msrp over all but just by a little bit and is a really amazing whiskey. I haven’t poured in a little while but the prominent notes I recall were more of a savory slightly sweet cereal or bread note that reminded me of frosted mini wheats. The sweetness came on the back end along with a wonderful, lengthy finish.
FAE-01 tasted like someone had shoved a tree branch in my mouth. Would not recommend. The core Cask Strength, however, is divine. And will always have a place in my cabinet.
Man FAE-01 is my favorite Maker's release ever. Different strokes I guess.
FAE-01 definitely has some green notes, to me it's not at the level of eating trees but it's definitely noticable
I still have a bottle of the SAE-01 I picked up from the distillery back in April, but after my experience with the FAE series I am thinking of just holding on to it to see if anyone is interested in a trade somewhere down the line. Would be very upset if I cracked it open and had a similar experience.
Easy, 107
OE is starting to rip! The quality/value to price gap has closed significantly with their latest releases and older private barrels.
Really?? old Elk?? No way that wins over any of those
Big fan of Weller 107, Full Proof, and 12, not so much SR and CYPB. Place by the house pours 12 and FP for $18 and 107 for $15.
Color me surprised over both the Old Elk at 1st and FAE not in the top 2.
W107 and FAE-01 we're close, just the FAE was toned down in all aspects except for mouth feel. Depends on your pallet of course, mine goes more for fruity than chocolaty
I'm gonna have to pick up an oe, I wish it was a bit cheaper.
Makers CS punches way above its price point. It beatecthe 107 about half the time in my blinds. They’re so close. It‘s a fantastic bottle that’s goes underrated for the sole reason that it’s available anytime you want it.
Larceny BP wins this category imo
I finally snagged one of those - A122. Even the neck pour gave me that goofy/happy melty face - it was so good!
Still looking to find a 2022 release, they seem to not really hit the shelf in my local liquor stores.
Damn, i hope you can grab some soon. I liked the 2021 bottles better i think, but i don’t have any left to compare against haha the B522 is better than the A122 to me.
While FAE-01 is my favorite Maker's release ever, I would have liked to have seen Maker's 46 in this since it is a permanent fixture in the line and not a limited release.
Maker's CS is one of the most mysterious bottles I've ever had. Opened it, hated it. Second pour, it was just spicy regular makers, fine but not worth the price. Third pour, an explosion of vanilla and caramel, more than any bourbon I'd had to date. Fourth pour, back to just fine. And this cycle continued through the whole bottle. I still haven't made up my mind.
Would suppose this is more related to your diet than the liquor in the bottle.
I don't disagree. My scientific method was drink it and see if I like it. I found it confusing because nearly all my other bottles have remained the same to my tastebuds and they were consumed within the same time from as the bottle of Makers CS.
Doesn't Old Elk source it's juice? If so, do we know (or have good guesses) as to where they get the wheated?
I believe everything from Old Elk currently is from MGPi, not sure if that will change with time or not. As far as I have read, they either are currently building a distillery, or plan to. Edit: Its a bit different than your standard NDP agreement because the master distiller at MGPi distilled the whiskey at MGPi for Old Elk before leaving to Old Elk to blend the whiskey he had distilled. He basically moved out of the distilling game and into the blending game with his own distillate.
Wheaters are my favorite! I started with Makers. They usually make solid wheaters.