Thresh & Winnow 12-Year Wheat Whiskey vs. Weller 12: Similar Age, Different Category

Behind the Pour

This one started as a gift. Crystal went to their trusted whiskey shop without a specific bottle in mind and asked the owner to walk her through the best options for Roger — a man with strong opinions and a track record for finding great bottles. The owner's recommendation landed on Thresh & Winnow, a limited 12-year wheated whiskey from Koval Distillery in Chicago — founded by Dr. Robert Birnecker and Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart, two people who entered the craft spirits world as genuine pioneers. When Crystal brought it home that night, Roger was already looking at getting it. That kind of convergence is a green light.

What You'll Discover

• The Weller 12 comparison: The Wine Barrel's owner positioned this as what Weller 12 is supposed to be — a bold claim in bourbon circles where Weller 12 has near-mythic allocated status. Whether it lives up to that framing is the episode's central question.
• Koval Distillery's founding story: Husband and wife Dr. Robert Birnecker and Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart founded Koval in Chicago in 2008 — one of the first craft distilleries in the post-Prohibition Midwest. They also train other distillers and have helped launch additional craft spirits operations.
• Not chill-filtered: The visible oils and fats at the bottom of the bottle tell the story before the glass does. Roger shakes the bottle deliberately to incorporate them. Non-chill-filtered whiskey carries more texture and flavor compounds into the pour.
• The bottle is a decanter: Heavy in the hand, intricate wheat design on the glass, a stopper cork that references the distillery's grain-to-glass process: grow, harvest, thresh, winnow, store, fry, still. This is packaging that knows what it is.
• Limited and no longer available: At the time of recording this whiskey is discontinued from regular sale. If you find it on secondary, you know what you're looking at.

A Moment of Pourspective

The best gift is the one that surprises someone who already knows what they like. Pay attention to the bottles the people behind the counter reach for when they're not selling anything — that's the real recommendation.

Explore the Conversation

Thresh & Winnow is a wheat whiskey story dressed as a gift story. The episode opens with Crystal's account of shopping without a list, which is how a lot of bottles that deserve attention actually get discovered — not through research but through a trusted recommendation in a shop you've earned a relationship with. The Weller 12 comparison is the frame the episode hangs on. Weller 12 has become nearly impossible to find at retail in most markets, and its elevated secondary price means a lot of the people who most want to understand what a great wheated whiskey can be simply can't access it. Thresh & Winnow enters that conversation as a different answer to the same question: what does wheat do to a whiskey over significant aging time? Koval's founding story grounds the bottle in something beyond a single release. Two academics who pivoted to distilling and became pioneers in Midwest craft spirits — and who then contributed to the category by training other distillers — are the kind of producers whose work carries institutional weight. The Thresh & Winnow may be discontinued, but the distillery's broader commitment to craft isn't.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Koval Distillery? Koval was founded in Chicago in 2008 by Dr. Robert Birnecker and Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart. It was one of the first craft distilleries in the post-Prohibition Midwest and also operates as a training resource for other craft producers.
• Why does Crystal shake the bottle before pouring? She's incorporating the natural oils and fats that settle at the bottom of non-chill-filtered whiskey. Those compounds carry flavor — shaking redistributes them throughout the bottle for a more complete pour.
• Is Thresh & Winnow still available? No. It is a discontinued limited release. If you find it on secondary markets, expect to pay more than original retail.
• How does it compare to Weller 12? The Wine Barrel owner positioned it as the experience Weller 12 is supposed to deliver. Both are wheated whiskeys aged over a decade. This episode is the tasting comparison — Crystal and Roger's verdict is the episode itself.

Episode at a Glance

• Spirit reviewed: Thresh & Winnow 12-Year Wheated Whiskey (Koval Distillery)
• Hosts: Crystal and Roger
• Runtime: approximately 25 minutes
• Category: Whiskey
• Note: Limited release — discontinued; secondary market only