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.

This package consists of the following bottles:

1 Bottle Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year

1 Bottle Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot B 12 year

1 Bottle Pappy Van Winkle 15 year

1 Bottle Pappy Van Winkle 20 year

1 Bottle Pappy Van Winkle 23 year

This package consists of the following bottles:

1 Bottle Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year

1 Bottle Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot B 12 year

1 Bottle Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 year

1 Bottle Pappy Van Winkle 15 year

1 Bottle Pappy Van Winkle 20 year

1 Bottle Pappy Van Winkle 23 year

Iconic original Stitzel Weller mashbill of the Pappy Van Winkle 20.  This bottle is truly a unicorn as it was barreled in 1989 just as Van Winkle was on its rise.   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

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.

2013 - Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye

*Bottle may be different than the photo*

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.

Pappy van winkle 15 year expression bottled in 2009 according to the laser code dating.   This likely would be a blend of remaining stitzel weller distillation and bernheim which were both used as sources for the van winkle line up prior to Buffalo Trace distillation being of age.  If you’ve tried these older expressions, the profile difference is very clear.

Likely a 2002 bottling based on glass stamp - This bourbon whiskey is bottled at nearly barrel proof. Just a splash of Kentucky limestone water is added after a decade of aging. Rich, yet smooth, this bourbon takes a back seat to none. A sweet vanilla nose with caramel, pecan and oak wood. Smooth, mellow flavor consisting of robust wheat, cherries and oak. Features a long, smoky wheat finish with hints of fruit, spice and oak tannins.

*Must be 21 to consume alcohol

Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade 90 Proof 10 Year Old Bourbon (Squat Bottle)

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.

2011 release - laser code

PRODUCER'S NOTES: "Van Winkle Special Reserve is the perfect combination of age and proof. This sweet, full bodied whiskey has been described by some as 'nectar.' We agree! The 12 years of aging and medium proof of 90.4 seem to be just right in creating a very pleasant drink of whiskey. This fine bourbon can compete with any excellent cognac as an after-dinner drink. The overall impression is rich and deep."

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. 

Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year (2015)

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."