Pappy Van Winkle

One of the last years that Pappy Van Winkle 23 was bottled using Stitzel-Weller juice before Buffalo Trace began using its own barrels for producing Pappy Van Winkle.

In 2017 Buffalo Trace released the 15 year bottling with a red foil topper instead of the traditional black.   These bottlings became known as “Santa pappy” and are extremely collectible amongst bourbon enthusiasts.

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."

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."

PRODUCER'S NOTES: "This is the #1 rated Bourbon Whiskey in the world—Rated 99 out of 100 by the World Spirits Championship. This bourbon is aged 20 years and bottled at 90.4 proof. This whiskey is wonderfully smooth and rich. No other bourbon today can stand 20 years of aging, but this bourbon does it with style. Pappy Van Winkle was a true character. This bourbon, like Pappy, is full of the character that makes it a very special whiskey. It has been put in the class of a fine after-dinner cognac."

This expression was from the first batch of pappy van winkle 20 year which was released using green tinted glass from 1994 to 1998.    Bottled in Lawrenceburg, KY , the distillation used for the first release is old Boone which was a traditional bourbon mash bill with rye as the secondary grain. 

This is an extremely rare version of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old bourbon.  This particular expression was bottled back in 2006, meaning it was distilled no later than 1986 and contains the famous Stitzel-Weller distillate.  This is a hand selected single barrel selected for Morrell & Company out of New York.  Each bottle was hand numbered and labeled for the original purchaser of the bottle.  A 20 year Stitzel Weller distilled single barrel with the pappy van winkle branding is truly a unicorn and must have for anyone looking to have something special for their collection.

The last year of the wax top 23's, this was  a split bottling year with some being bottled using the gold foil.   These particular expressions of the van winkle line up contained whiskey distilled prior to Buffalo Trace at the Old Fitzgerald distillery which was producing the famous stitzel-weller distillate used for this bottle.

PRODUCER'S NOTES: "This very rare, limited edition bourbon takes generations of distilling know-how to produce. Only the most careful and expensive distilling method can be used to create a whiskey as special as this one. This is the same distillation as our famous 20 year old Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve. These barrels were carefully selected from the heart of the warehouse. This whiskey should be enjoyed neat. Any ice or water will dilute the uniqueness."

Predominant oak stands out but not overpowering as you would expect in a 25-year old bourbon. Wheated bourbons typically age well, and this ORVW follows suit. The sweet sugars hold up and provide an excellent balance and flavor complexity to the oak forward. The proof point is just right with this expression. It’s a straight down the middle, aged wheated bourbon that is very nice.