Birthday Gifts

Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Gift Set - Lawrenceburg - 10 Year Old, 101 Proof [Wood Box & Glasses]

2014 vintage release - laser code

PRODUCER'S NOTES: "This wonderful bourbon is bottled as close to barrel proof as possible. We add just a splash of our Kentucky limestone well water when we empty the barrels for bottling. Thus, this whiskey is as smooth as any you will find. The more water you add to whiskey from its natural barrel proof to its bottle proof, the harsher it becomes. This 107 barrel proof seems to be just right."

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In 1893, when he was 18 years old, Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr. began working as a salesman for the liquor wholesaler, W.L. Weller & Sons. Fifteen years later, he and another Weller salesman bought the firm. In 1910 they acquired the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, which had started as a sour mash whiskey distillery in 1872.

The Stitzel Distillery supplied much of the whiskey sold by the Weller wholesale firm. The consolidation coincided with prohibition, during which time the Stitzel-Weller firm was licensed by the government to produce whiskey for medicinal purposes. One of their labels that was introduced on the market just before prohibition was Old Rip Van Winkle. After prohibition, the brand was not reintroduced until after 1972 when the Stitzel-Weller distillery and its current brand names (including W. L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still) were sold to other companies.The only brand name the Van Winkle family had kept the rights to was the pre-prohibition brand Old Rip Van Winkle.

The Stitzel-Weller Distillery was opened on the day of the Kentucky Derby in 1935, just outside Louisville in Shively, Kentucky. At the time of his death in 1965 at the age of 89, Pappy Van Winkle was the oldest active distiller in the nation. A photo of him lighting a cigar graces the bottle's label.

Sometime after the Stitzel-Weller distillery was sold in 1972, Julian Van Winkle, Jr. resurrected the pre-prohibition Old Rip Van Winkle brand and initially used old whiskey stocks from the distillery for its bottlings. Julian Jr. died in 1981 and Julian Van Winkle, III (Pappy's grandson) took over the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery company.

After the initial sale in 1972, the Stitzel-Weller distillery was eventually closed completely in 1991.

Since 2002, the Van Winkle brands have been distilled and bottled by the Sazerac Company at the Buffalo Trace Distillery as a joint venture with the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery company.

In 2013, Julian Preston Van Winkle III, said the 2013 bottlings of the 23-year brand expression "may be the last of its kind", since at that point there was very little left of the aging stock from the Stitzel-Weller distillery (although he said the brand would not be discontinued). The makers say that they do not want to boost production, as there is considerable long-term risk, and they do not want to be left holding copious quantities of unsaleable bourbon should tastes, fashions or circumstances change.

A pure malt whisky that is characterized by the deep and flavorful richness with excellent balance that is unique to its age. A blend of rich ripe fruit and aged cask on the nose with complex changes in character as the finish approaches.

Char, apricots, persimmons, nutmeg , vietnamese cinnamon, vanilla, leather, macadamia nuts, some spiciness, and a faint trace of marzipan, and on more warming tropical fruit. Toffee, (not caramel), corn, apricot again, vanilla, cinnamon family spices much like the bouquet. A slightly sweet start, medium mouth feel, more like a good armagnac than like a cognac (and I mean that in a positive way, armagnac can be much more complex and interesting than cognac). Lovely long finish with a fair amount of oak, char, leather, dark fruit, apple butter and vanilla.

This was made in memory of Parker Beam. Very well balanced and mellow on the nose and palate. Sweet notes of mature dark rum, toffee, nougat and candy corn dovetail with dried apricot, golden raisin, hot cinnamon, soft mint tea, and vanilla. Polished leather and tobacco leaves on a long, contemplative finish. It is what an ultra-mature bourbon should taste like: all the depth and complexity that comes with this much aging without all the excessive oak. The wood is there, but it never crosses the line.

The ultimate Mother's Day or birthday gift. An inviting and rustic custom handcrafted wooden gift box with a brass nameplate with the engraving "World's Best Mom" that teases the fact that someone special is about to open something equally special. As you open the antique latch, it reveals a felt top that has been covering 2 hand-blown glasses and a bottle of Original Rip Van Winkle Bourbon Aged 10 Years laying gently and securely in a batch of hypoallergenic antique packing straw. The exterior dimensions of this one of a kind gift box are 14.75″W x 10.75″D x 5.75″H. Because each box is handmade, quantities are limited and delivery is expected in 10 business days.

Previous, squat bottle design of the popular wheated bourbon from Buffalo Trace

As part of the wheated bourbon family, this twelve year old W.L. Weller is aged far longer than most wheated bourbons. This offering is a smooth, easy-going and balanced bourbon with a beautiful deep bronze color.

2011 Bottling

PRODUCER'S NOTES: "A younger version of our famous 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle’ Family Reserve, this bourbon was crafted according to our exclusive family wheated recipe. The smooth, oak flavor blends well with the barrel proof. Selected from barrels in the heart of our Kentucky warehouse, it has remained untouched for 15 years and unhurried by time."

2013 Bottling

PRODUCER'S NOTES: "A younger version of our famous 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle’ Family Reserve, this bourbon was crafted according to our exclusive family wheated recipe. The smooth, oak flavor blends well with the barrel proof. Selected from barrels in the heart of our Kentucky warehouse, it has remained untouched for 15 years and unhurried by time."

As you open the antique latch, it reveals a felt top that has been covering 2 hand-blown glasses and a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Aged 23 Years laying gently and securely in a batch of hypoallergenic antique packing straw. The exterior dimensions of this one of a kind gift box are 14.75″W x 10.75″D x 5.75″H. Because each box is handmade, quantities are limited and please inquire for expedited shipping.

As you open the antique latch, it reveals a felt top that has been covering 2 hand-blown glasses and a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Aged 20 Years laying gently and securely in a batch of hypoallergenic antique packing straw. The exterior dimensions of this one of a kind gift box are 14.75″W x 10.75″D x 5.75″H. Because each box is handmade, quantities are limited and please inquire for expedited shipping.

This version, 2.0, was a 13 year indiana bourbon sourced from MGP Ingredients (one of the largest whiskey and grain producers in the world) bottled as just a single barrel containing a total of 140 bottles, whereas every other release has had at least 1500 bottles. There’s no shortage of rye on the nose, giving this bourbon an intense spice character from the start, pushing forward notes of clove, cinnamon, ample barrel char, and some gentle mint notes that grow in strength the longer the whiskey’s in the glass. There’s a lightly rolling, toasty grain character on the palate, and lots more chocolate here than expected. Though bottled at over 55% abv, the whiskey drinks beautifully without water, lush (but racy) on the palate with notes of scorched citrus, caramel, vanilla, and more of that gentle barrel char lingering on the finish.

Last Drop Distillers seeks to find and bring to life the rarest of the rare whiskeys, offering them in extremely limited quantities. Leather, aged oak, earthy, raisin, dark fruit, dark cherry and tobacco on the nose. The taste is the definition of flamboyant with an orchestra of flavors with each flavor harmoniously mingled. Delightful notes of figs, dates, maraschino cherries, wood, saddle leather, pipe tobacco, toffee, plums, raisins, walnuts, and butterscotch. It’s a virtual symphony on your palate.

The ultimate Mother's Day or birthday gift. An inviting and rustic custom handcrafted wooden gift box with a brass nameplate with the engraving "World's Best Mom" that teases the fact that someone special is about to open something equally special. As you open the antique latch, it reveals a felt top that has been covering 2 hand-blown glasses and a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Aged 23 Years laying gently and securely in a batch of hypoallergenic antique packing straw. The exterior dimensions of this one of a kind gift box are 14.75″W x 10.75″D x 5.75″H. Because each box is handmade, quantities are limited and please inquire for expedited shipping.

Booker's Bourbon "C-B-16-79" w/ Wooden Display Box (1979)

This is the second batch of booker's ever released, and the second of 2 batches from 1979.  Labels have some visual flaws and the wax has a hairline crack but this is not only a delicious expression of Booker's but definitely a bottle that collectors look for. 

*Vintage booker's has a tendency to leak. in transit and buyers should be aware of that before purchase*

Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12 Year Gift Set (1951-1963)

Spring 2016

This rare bourbon ages in oak barrels for nearly two decades and is only available in small quantities once a year, every fall. Sip this polished, well-aged whiskey to appreciate why patience is such a virtue. The fragrant aroma has almost a wine-like character with hints of almond, cigar boxes and cinnamon. The delicate and dry mid-palate tastes of leather, vanilla and tobacco. This bourbon lingers, finishing with hint of leather and toffee.

This 21 year kentucky bourbon was bottled by dowling distillery which actually sourced their whiskey from a few different distilleries at that time that this was distilled which was early 1950s. Dowling was owned by Schnley in the 50s and they maintained about a dozen kentucky distilleries who were producing at that time. Rumors exist that this was distlled at Hoffman distilling, but there is no way to know, unless you can track down someone who helped with the acquisition 70 years ago.