by rl1856 » Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:31 pm
Pappy and (some) Weller come from the same wheated mashbill at Buffalo Trace. Pappy gets the best of the aged wheated barrels. Weller 12y is the same stock, but not up to the grade of Pappy. So yes- some "Weller" will get a Pappy label and a much higher price. In fact this is exactly how Pappy has been bottled since the last of the original Stitzell Weller / Pappy barrels were consumed.
Source- recent trip to Buffalo Trace Distillery and informal remarks by Julian Van Winkle made a recent bourbon event he attended.
Willett on the other hand is not a volume distiller, their specialty is aquireing and blending of unique barrels to come up with a nice end product. Personally, I have been impressed by Willett (and Noah's Creek also a Willett product) over the years.