BOTM 2/11: Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr 107 proof

Good points on the comparisons with OWA and letting the ORVW breath in the bottle.
It was one of the first Bourbon's I ever bought and the proof and initial heat overwhelmed me, so it was a long time till I tried it again. Now it's a favorite. A little water or a little ORVW 10/90 and it is a pour you can savor all evening long.

Interesting. I haven't tried the ORVW 107 yet but I just bought a bottle of OWA which had a really overpowering note on the nose: best I could describe is either overcooked creamed corn, or maybe slightly burnt caramel popcorn. It not only made this pour challenging, but I found it stuck in my nose all night and ruined everything else, too.

But, I left the cap slightly loose for a week and it seems to have fixed itself very satisfactorily.

Is this more common with wheaters? The only other time I've run into this is was with a bottle of oak-aged slivovitz that needed a couple of months' breathing to make it enjoyable.

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Originally Posted by Brisko

I left the cap slightly loose for a week and it seems to have fixed itself very satisfactorily.

Is this more common with wheaters? The only other time I've run into this is was with a bottle of oak-aged slivovitz that needed a couple of months' breathing to make it enjoyable.

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I find I like OWA, ORVW 10/107, and OGD 114 the more they open up.

I should have been more specific: nearly every whiskey I've tried has benefited from breathing, to one extent or another (the exception being Redbreast 12 which went from stunning to merely average over the course of a month or two). But OWA 107 it was in the "very hard to drink" category for the first several pours.

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Originally Posted by Brisko

Is this more common with wheaters? The only other time I've run into this is was with a bottle of oak-aged slivovitz that needed a couple of months' breathing to make it enjoyable.

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I've always found this "slivovitz" flavor in rye's. Most notably anything from Four Roses. I don't know how else to describe it, but when you taste oak-aged slivovitz, you'll never forget it. Quite unique. Almost like a new make flavor. I like slivovitz quite a bit, but not in my bourbon.

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Originally Posted by SMOWK

I've always found this "slivovitz" flavor in rye's. Most notably anything from Four Roses. I don't know how else to describe it, but when you taste oak-aged slivovitz, you'll never forget it. Quite unique. Almost like a new make flavor. I like slivovitz quite a bit, but not in my bourbon.

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I know what you're talking about in ryed offerings but I never made the connection to slivovitz before. Although the "off notes" that eventually breathed out of my slivovitz weren't the same as the one I was talking about in the OWA.

Ah, one that I don't have to go searching for. Too late to taste today but there is tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by Brisko

I know what you're talking about in ryed offerings but I never made the connection to slivovitz before. Although the "off notes" that eventually breathed out of my slivovitz weren't the same as the one I was talking about in the OWA.

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In my experience with all ten of the Four Roses recipes, the slivovitz quality is usually quite apparent. Some more than others, but I can always seem to find it, and it always dwells on me. The only other time I get this flavor is when drinking the various "moonshines" that make it this way every so often that is made from grapes. I like it in my slivovitz and moonshine, but for some reason when it makes it into my bourbon it makes the bourbon taste "underdone" and sticks out like a sore thumb.

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Originally Posted by Brisko

... The only other time I've run into this is was with a bottle of oak-aged slivovitz that needed a couple of months' breathing to make it enjoyable.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by SMOWK

I've always found this "slivovitz" flavor in rye's. Most notably anything from Four Roses. I don't know how else to describe it, but when you taste oak-aged slivovitz, you'll never forget it. Quite unique. Almost like a new make flavor. I like slivovitz quite a bit, but not in my bourbon.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by SMOWK

In my experience with all ten of the Four Roses recipes, the slivovitz quality is usually quite apparent. Some more than others, but I can always seem to find it, and it always dwells on me. ...

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Aw now look what you've done.:shocked: Thinking of buying me a bottle of Slivovitz tomorrow.:grin:

What I love about ORVW 10/107 and what sets it apart for me from many other bourbons is its finish. The taste on the midpalate is wonderful, but it flourishes on the way down. It seems to expand just the right amount for my particular tastes, and lingers just long enough that by the time it disappears I realize I want more. One glass is almost never enough.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I find it to be close to a perfectly balanced expression... and for $34.

Also, I agree with everybody who says that it needs time to breathe.