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Elijah Craig Small Batch vs W.L. Weller Special Reserve
Elijah Craig Small Batch and W.L. Weller Special Reserve sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus an old-guard, wheat-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Elijah Craig Small Batch | W.L. Weller Special Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) +4 proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$28 – $35 ~$14 less | ~$30 – $60 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- W.L. Weller Special Reserve does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
W.L. Weller Special Reserve
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Elijah Craig Small Batch W.L. Weller Special Reserve
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 5/2 spice: Elijah Craig Small Batch 5 out of 10, W.L. Weller Special Reserve 2 out of 10
oak 7/4 oak: Elijah Craig Small Batch 7 out of 10, W.L. Weller Special Reserve 4 out of 10
sweetness 6/7 sweetness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 6 out of 10, W.L. Weller Special Reserve 7 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, W.L. Weller Special Reserve 5 out of 10
heat 4/3 heat: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, W.L. Weller Special Reserve 3 out of 10
nuttiness 4/3 nuttiness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, W.L. Weller Special Reserve 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- Elijah Craig Small Batch: A heavily oak-driven pour for the money, with vanilla bean and brown sugar riding on top of real char and smoke. The extra age shows up as wood depth rather than harshness.
- W.L. Weller Special Reserve: The entry point to the Weller line and an easy introduction to wheated bourbon. Soft honey and vanilla with almost no rye bite, a bread-dough body, and a short, sweet finish that asks nothing of you.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Elijah Craig Small Batch if you want the best oak-forward value on the shelf, with more wood character than its price suggests.
- Go with W.L. Weller Special Reserve if you want the softest, sweetest, most approachable wheated pour of the group.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Elijah Craig Small Batch); neat, rocks, highball (W.L. Weller Special Reserve).