Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye

van winkle family reserve rye13yr 95.6 proofUntil now, most rye whiskeys were only 5 years old or younger. This 13-year rye breaks the mold. It’s the original aged rye whiskey. The maturity it has received while aging is quite obvious when you take the first sip. Flavors include cocoa, vanilla, spice and white pepper. Rye whiskey lovers who try this bottling will never again look back at the younger versions. Rated 95 — Beverage Tasting Institute Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal `Rating: Handmade Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Old Rip Van Winkle Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13This highly sought after American rye has a soft nose of chestnuts, spice, vanilla and fruit. It features flavors of cocoa, vanilla, spice, and white pepper. A long, warm and complex finish with caramel and spice combined with dry oak round out Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye.
tasting notes
See the deep, tawny, copper color. Smell the powerful caramel, spice, sweet-tobacco aromas. Enjoy a smooth, broad entry, leading to a medium-to full-bodied palate with sweet toffee, roasted nut and leather notes. Finish with a wave of white pepper, spice and long-lingering dried fruit flavors.
Pappy began working at W.L. Weller & Sons first as a traveling whiskey salesman and eventually as the President of Stitzel-Weller Distillery. He helped shape the industry during and after Prohibition. Through his endeavors in the warehouse, the boardroom and on the road, he built a reputation in the bourbon industry that was second to none. Fine bourbon was his mission, and he accepted nothing less.
Pappy’s son, Julian Jr., operated the distillery from 1964 until the family sold it in 1972. After, not one to be defeated, he got himself an office and a secretary and formed a company called J.P. Van Winkle and Son. He got into marketing bourbon through many types of commemorative decanters, some of the more popular being for universities. But he never stopped bottling on the side. He created the Old Rip Van Winkle label as a side venture in case his son, Julian III, wanted to come into the business.
Julian III took over the business in 1981 after his father passed away. He was 32 years old with a wife and four young children. The premium bourbon business was in a lull, but 90 years ago, Pappy started from the ground up, too. So, with this same, innate passion, Julian purchased the Old Hoffman Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, for barrel storage and bottling purposes. He couldn’t afford much advertising, but the quality of Old Rip Van Winkle sold itself. Julian III and his impeccable palate created quite a stir.
When first approached by Buffalo Trace, Julian III was honored, but not immediately interested. He had ample bourbon aging, but the concern was for future reserves, since by this time, bourbon was increasing in popularity. Buffalo Trace bought the W.L. Weller label in 1999 and had been making the bourbon with nearly the same recipe as Pappy’s. The transition was easy. As of May 2002, Buffalo Trace has produced the Van Winkle bourbons, using Pappy’s exact recipe. This change allows Old Rip Van Winkle to maintain their strict quality standards while producing more barrels for future enjoyment.