Wheated bourbon might be common now, but that wasn’t always the case—the earliest known use of this secondary grain in a bourbon mashbill was by the Stitzel Brothers before Prohibition. This is what led Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle to produce a wheated bourbon, post-Prohibition, at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, which opened on Derby Day 1935. According to Bourbon historian Michael Veach, they believed that wheated bourbon tasted better at a younger age than the traditional Kentucky bourbon mashbill that uses rye as a flavoring grain.

Veach goes on to say that Stitzel-Weller kept their use of wheat a secret, even going so far as to label their wheat grain hopper “rye.” Van Winkle counseled the Samuels family on using wheat in their bourbon recipe that would eventually become Maker’s Mark, and for most of the 20th century those were the only two distilleries making wheated bourbon.

After a few shake-ups in the industry, many of the brands that had been produced at Stitzel-Weller were acquired by other distilleries—including W.L. Weller, which ended up at Buffalo Trace. During the early days of the bourbon boom, Weller catapulted to stardom among whiskey nerds thanks to the discovery that it was made using the same mashbill as Pappy, earning Weller the nickname “poor man’s Pappy.” For years, not even the standard W.L. Weller Special Reserve could be found on most store shelves, not to mention any of the special releases.

We asked some top bartenders, mixologists, and bar managers what they recommend to their patrons when W.L. Weller isn’t available—which, unfortunately, is often the case. Here’s what they had to say.

“I don't think you can discuss wheated bourbon without Maker's Mark,” said Joe Riggs, bar manager at the Louisville Marriott East (home of 400-plus American whiskies). “For me, Maker's Mark 101 Proof is worth visiting Kentucky to grab a bottle—or a box. The high proof brings all of the best parts of Maker's flavor profile into greater concentration, and the concentration of citrus and oak notes make for excellent cocktails. For a wheated whiskey that really highlights the grain bill, Coal Pick makes an excellent pot-distilled, two-year-old bourbon. Coal Pick has a beautiful cereal grain and yeast profile that balances beautifully with barrel notes that are not over-bearing. Larrikin Distilling in Lawrenceburg, KY has an interesting wheated rye that is really fun in blind tastings.”

“My favorite wheated bourbon is Larceny Barrel Proof from Heaven Hill,” said Eron Plevan, head bartender at Tartan House in Louisville. “I really like it because it’s balanced, it has great barrel spice because of the proof, and the wheat adds a nice softness that isn’t lost [even at] cask strength. Overall, it’s a well-rounded, high-quality bourbon.”

“I always prefer to use Maker's Mark, to the point that when my bar manager pulled it from our back bar, I became notorious for nagging them to bring it back,” said Master of Bourbon Bethne Stewart. “I've also been known to champion Larceny, just to have some flexibility in reliable, tasty, wheated bourbon. Maker's is iconic and looks beautiful behind the bar, and I can offer it to guests who are new to bourbon as well as seasoned aficionados. I'm also pretty familiar with the history, making it easy to chat with guests as I'm mixing up their cocktails.”

“If I had to choose between Maker’s Mark (upgrade to be either Maker’s 46/101) and Larceny, I’m gonna have to go for Larceny,” said Henry Hill Jr., Virginia’s Bartender and Cocktail of the Year winner, and founder of Liquid Skeleton. “But the ‘bells and whistles upgrade’ on the barrel-proof edition. Honestly, I want both! The ‘base model’ does wonderful things in classic cocktails, but the barrel-proof version over a big rock is playful with all of my favorites notes of jam, vanilla, and butterscotch.”

“The rare Wellers are still rare (and pricey), but there are constant releases (like when a new Costco opens, they magically have the 1L Special Reserve Bourbon for $50), so it's not common to be unable to find some,” said Danny Ronen, founder of DC Spirits and partner at Shaker & Spoon. “For the die-hard wheated bourbon fans, I totally understand why they clamor over the Emmer Wheat Recipe Bourbon or Antique Reserve. But if you'd like something delicious and different, some of my favorites are Bardstown Bourbon Company’s High Wheat and Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon (a four-grain mashbill, I just love what they're doing in terms of their own grains). Rebel Yell Small Batch is definitely the sleeper, and although not as commonly found or inexpensive as their other marques, still worth the search.”

“If you can’t find W.L. Weller, my go-to wheated bourbon recommendation would be a vintage Maker’s Mark from the 1990s or older,” said Brad Bonds, founder of Revival Vintage Bottle Shop. “We usually have this available on our bar, and it’s both fairly accessible and priced affordably. If you can’t stop by the shop, I think new Maker’s Mark is the perfect option. It’s consistently available, reasonably priced, and delivers the classic soft, approachable profile that wheated bourbon fans are looking for.”

“When it comes to wheated bourbons, W. L. Weller is among the great ones,” said Tom Gale, director of operations of Virtue Feed & Grain and executive bourbon steward. “[But it's] often not readily available, especially here in an allocated control state like Virginia. So my go-to would be Larceny, especially the barrel-proof editions. A very close second would be Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength. Both of these are very accessible and are reasonably priced. My unicorn selections would be 1792 Sweet Wheat Bourbon and almost any version of the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond line. For a very special treat, one that I very much enjoy is the Maker’s Mark Private Selection Toasted Marshmallow (stave numbers 01351). I was on one of my trips to Kentucky and happened to be at the distillery when this was released. It was something I found to be an absolutely wonderful bourbon, over-the-top delicious!”