The finish is surprisingly warm and gingery, with a long, lingering exit. Palate: On the palate it’s juicy and almost unctuous, with notes of sweet honey, soft tobacco, and caramel alongside a soft, quenching acidity like a ripe peach. Notes of red-skinned plum, Rainier cherry, and fresh grain combine for a fruity, sweet nose reminiscent of summer cobbler.

Nose: Very clean and soft, like a fresh-washed comforter. Tasting Notes: Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year That same contrarian part of me wonders what the point of reviewing Van Winkle whiskies truly is – if I say they taste like dishwater, will anybody believe me? If I tell you they’re nectar supplied by the angels themselves, will you ever be able to taste them to find out? Yet after tasting all five, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you. Over this week, I’ll be reviewing the full Van Winkle lineup, from 10 to 23. But is it the most enjoyable? Does it bring the drinker the most delight? Is it the best way to spend your whiskey dollar? Color me skeptical. When I asked him why, he said (in the tone of voice he reserved for nincompoop clients and irritating young female employees) “ Because it’s the best,” as if “best” was an objective, self-evident reality.Īnd I guess if you let the market dictate what’s “best” in the form of high pricing, then Pappy may very well be the best bourbon there is. I had a boss once who got a bottle of Pappy 12 Year every December for the company holiday party. Sure, Van Winkle might be good – but so are zillions of other whiskies, and all available at a price point that doesn’t force you to choose between a drink and paying your mortgage. But truth be told, there is a part of me (the same part of me that skipped high school pep rallies to smoke pot in the back seat of my friend’s Volkswagen van) that wants to roll my eyes at the whole business. So when a vertical sample of Van Winkle bourbons (tasting bottle size, not full) drifted across our desk, I had mixed feelings about reviewing them. For many, the Van Winkle expressions are the white whale of whiskey, a tantalizing promise that a better bourbon is out there, being enjoyed by others who are better-connected and deeper-pocketed than yourself, that you may never taste. The mere mention of the words can send bourbon aficionados into a frothing, wallet-emptying frenzy, fighting one another in lottery lines for the chance to have a chance to buy a bottle of the stuff. We recommend you get on as many waiting lists and enter as many lotteries as you can.Įnter your location to find nearby stores who carry our whiskeys.Van Winkle. Many retailers use a lottery or a waiting list to sell our stock. We know our whiskey can be difficult to find, so our advice is to ask retailers in your area if they expect to receive stock, and if so, how they plan to sell it. The list below will help you find retailers that are likely to receive stock, but we can’t know for certain. Because we don’t control which retailers receive our stock, we can’t track inventory at a retailer level.

US Federal law prohibits direct sale of distilled spirits, so we can’t sell it ourselves. So it often hits shelves anywhere from mid-October to early December. From there, they determine which retailers get that inventory, and distribute accordingly. On October 1, we tell our wholesalers how many bottles they’ll receive. We only release stock once per year, because we’re a small company.

Old rip van winkle