Compare
Maker's Mark vs W.L. Weller 12 Year
Comparing Maker's Mark and W.L. Weller 12 Year is a closer contest than it looks — both are wheated bourbons, separated mainly by price (~$25 – $32 vs. ~$70 – $180).
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | W.L. Weller 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 90 proof (45% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$25 – $32 ~$97 less | ~$70 – $180 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- W.L. Weller 12 Year 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
Maker's Mark
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
W.L. Weller 12 Year
No notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark W.L. Weller 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, W.L. Weller 12 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 4/6 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, W.L. Weller 12 Year 6 out of 10
sweetness 8/8 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, W.L. Weller 12 Year 8 out of 10
spice 2/2 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, W.L. Weller 12 Year 2 out of 10
heat 3/3 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, W.L. Weller 12 Year 3 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, W.L. Weller 12 Year 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- Maker's Mark: The bottle that made wheated bourbon mainstream. Soft, sweet, and deliberately low on spice and oak, with baked bread and honey doing most of the work. Consistency is its real feature.
- W.L. Weller 12 Year: Twelve years on a wheated mash at a modest 90 proof, which is the combination that made this bottle famous. Deep caramel and baked fruit with polished rather than aggressive oak — the closest widely-discussed analogue to the Pappy profile.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Maker's Mark if you want a reliably sweet, low-spice wheater that is easy to find and easy to drink at a significantly lower price point.
- Go with W.L. Weller 12 Year if you want age and elegance on a wheated mash, and you are willing to chase it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat (W.L. Weller 12 Year).