Review: Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat Bourbon

In the spring of 2026, Buffalo Trace introduced the second release in its Daniel Weller experimental series: Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat Bourbon. Daniel Weller, grandfather of William Larue Weller, settled in Kentucky in 1794 and entered the whiskey trade in 1849. Over time, the Weller name became closely tied to wheated bourbon as a style. This release builds on that legacy while testing its limits, asking what happens when one of the oldest wheat strains in the world takes the place of the grain behind “The Original Wheated Bourbon.” That grain is spelt.

You’ve probably seen spelt before. It shows up on ingredient lists, bakery menus, maybe a bag of flour you bought once with good intentions. Then it drifts out of mind. That’s fair. Most people treat it that way. Still, spelt carries a story that goes well beyond the health-food aisle, and before getting into what Buffalo Trace has done here, it helps to understand what it is and how it managed to stick around at all.

Spelt isn’t a modern rediscovery or a marketing invention. It’s ancient. Archaeological records trace it back to the Fertile Crescent, in what is now Iraq, around 5000 BCE. It fed early civilizations long before modern agriculture took shape. It appears in biblical texts, in Roman writing, even in medieval literature. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe, spelt went with it, becoming a dietary staple for centuries. Not a specialty item, not a niche grain. Just food.

For much of that time, though, it carried a reputation as a peasant staple. Refined wheat was associated with wealth and status. Spelt fed everyone else. That makes its role in a limited, highly allocated bourbon release with a $550 price tag feel a little poetic.

What sets spelt apart from the wheat most of us know comes down to both structure and farming. The grain is encased in a thick outer hull that doesn’t separate easily. Modern wheat was bred to shed that layer during harvest, which streamlined production and cut costs. Spelt never followed that path. Its hull stays intact until it’s mechanically removed, protecting the grain along the way. It’s a built-in safeguard, but it also means more effort before it can be used.

That extra step is a big part of why spelt faded from large-scale agriculture. As industrial farming took hold in the early 20th century, efficiency drove decisions. Conventional wheat yields more per acre and requires less processing. By the 1970s, spelt had nearly disappeared from North American fields. A grain cultivated for thousands of years was pushed aside in a matter of decades, not because it lacked quality, but because it slowed things down.

That distinction lands differently when you think about bourbon’s own history. There have been stretches where output and margins mattered more than process, where storytelling outpaced substance. When convenience takes the lead, something usually gets left behind. The question is what, exactly.

Spelt doesn’t behave like the wheat typically used in bourbon. Standard wheated mashbills rely on a grain that softens edges and lets other elements take center stage. It brings a light sweetness and a rounded feel, creating balance without drawing attention to itself. It’s there to support, not to stand out.

Spelt takes a different approach. Its flavor carries a clear nuttiness, with notes of toasted grain and biscuit, even something that edges closer to malted barley than to conventional wheat. There’s also a thread of baking spice running through it, with clove and a bit of cinnamon. It ferments a bit differently, with fewer sugars available, which can lead to a drier finish and a more defined, precise impression on the palate. Some distillers place it somewhere between wheat and rye in personality, less gentle than one, less sharp than the other. It doesn’t fade into the background.

Swapping spelt into a wheated bourbon mashbill isn’t a small tweak. It changes the foundation. The expected profile shifts, and with it, the identity of the whiskey.

Buffalo Trace approached this release with a light touch. No finishing barrels, no unusual cooperage, no extra handling to shape the outcome. The idea, according to Harlen Wheatley, is to give the grain nowhere to hide and nothing to lean on. The bourbon aged for ten years under standard conditions and was bottled at 94 proof, keeping the Weller blueprint intact apart from the grain itself.

That kind of approach only works if the ingredient can carry the weight. Strip things back too far and flaws tend to show. Buffalo Trace seems confident that spelt brings enough on its own. It’s a grain that’s been through cycles of widespread use, near disappearance, and quiet reemergence. It hasn’t been refined into neutrality. It hasn’t been optimized into sameness.

So the real question isn’t about the history or the process. It comes down to the glass. Does all of this show up when it matters?

Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat Bourbon Review

The nose opens with hazelnut coffee creamer and chamomile. Give it a little time and clove and dried apricot move to the front, with brown butter showing up later on. Compared to Weller Bourbon 12 Years Old which is usually built around caramel, vanilla, honey, and soft orchard fruit, this comes across as less sweet and more focused on nuttier, grain-driven aromas with a slightly earthier edge.

On the palate, dry cocoa powder and hazelnut praline lead the way. The mid-palate brings in whole-grain toast and dates. It starts off dry, almost powdery across the mouth, then gradually turns more expressive and juicy as it sits. Weller 12, by comparison, typically opens sweeter right away with caramel and vanilla, followed by light fruit and mild oak. Where Weller 12 stays rounded and dessert-leaning, this pushes further into cocoa, toasted grain, and a drier overall profile before opening up.

The finish returns to roasted hazelnuts and unsweetened dried apricot. A touch of dark honey arrives late, joined by nutmeg, adding a final bit of sweetness. Weller 12 usually closes on caramel, soft oak, and steady sweetness, while this takes a more nut-forward, lightly spiced path with that delayed sweetness showing up near the end.

This is a very good bourbon and a genuinely different take on a wheated profile. Using spelt instead of standard wheat shifts the experience in a noticeable way across the nose, palate, and finish, giving it more emphasis on nuts, cocoa, and toasted grain. Weller 12 Year remains the most natural comparison point given the similar age and proof, and it highlights just how different the grain choice can be.

Even so, it’s fair to ask whether this is meaningfully better than Weller 12 Year, and it isn’t. The quality is high, but the gap between the two doesn’t come close to matching the price difference. At $550, it’s hard to justify chasing a bottle when Weller 12 already delivers a sweeter, more classic wheated profile at a fraction of the cost. If this landed closer to $150, it would be much easier to recommend without hesitation.

94 proof

A- / $550

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