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

[SMOWK]

Can anyone think of a bourbon that this compares to? And I don't mean something that costs three times as much.

[Enoch]

Great pick. I picked up a bottle at Total Wine ($45) in Orlando while out shopping with the wife today, and brought it home. My dog Titan won't stop sniffing the bottle, so I'm gonna have him help me with the review:

I drank mine out of a glass Glencairn
Titan drank his out of a tiny shot glass I got in Georgia

Color
ME: Beautiful honey like color, nice medium orangish-brown.
Titan: :: pant:: pant:: pant:: pant::

Legs
Me: 2
Titan: 4

Smell
Me: Nice sweet smell, doesn't over power or burn the nose like other higher proof Whiskeys I have. Almost cherry-like.
Titan: ::sniff::sniff::sniff::

Taste
Me: Incredibly sweet flavor with a slight burn to the side of my tongue. Leatherlike taste to the back of my tongue that lingers long after the sip. Very nice.
Titan: :lick:lick:lick: :sniff:sniff: :lick:lick:

Overall:

Me: Never had the 10/107 before. I'm very impressed with it, mainly because I love a sweet bourbon. Will definitely become a regular stock in my cabinet, and may quite possibly become my new daily pour.
Titan: :: pant:: pant:: pant::

Best review to date!

[chefnash51]

Can anyone think of a bourbon that this compares to? And I don't mean something that costs three times as much.

By far Old Weller Antique is the closest I have found. At about $20 a bottle it's a great value and damn tasty.

[Medicfrost]

Best review to date!

Thank you. Next month I'll get Jezebel the Husky to help me do a review.

[JamesW]

I have to mention here that the 10/107 "was" one of my favorites until I purchased 6 bottles in Albany, NY. Each one has been off and funky. I have to force myself to drink through the bottle. There's still a semblance of its' greatness but just so medicinal. I have one open and 1 left in the bunker. I used to go through a few bottles a month and now I'm lucky if I can force myself to have a few pours a month.
One last note is I was in NYC over the holidays and saw a 10/90 on the shelf and picked it up in hopes that it was good juice and it was indeed excellent and it was polished off pronto. So I must have just gotten a really rotten case or something.

[nblair]

I have to mention here that the 10/107 "was" one of my favorites until I purchased 6 bottles in Albany, NY. Each one has been off and funky. I have to force myself to drink through the bottle. There's still a semblance of its' greatness but just so medicinal. I have one open and 1 left in the bunker. I used to go through a few bottles a month and now I'm lucky if I can force myself to have a few pours a month.
One last note is I was in NYC over the holidays and saw a 10/90 on the shelf and picked it up in hopes that it was good juice and it was indeed excellent and it was polished off pronto. So I must have just gotten a really rotten case or something.

I thought the last one I had was phenomenal once there was about an inch left in the bottle. A recently opened bottle was a bit medicinal at first, but I poured half of it into an empty bottle for about 2 weeks or so. I definitely thought it changed for the better, but YMMV.

[White Dog]

I thought the last one I had was phenomenal once there was about an inch left in the bottle. A recently opened bottle was a bit medicinal at first, but I poured half of it into an empty bottle for about 2 weeks or so. I definitely thought it changed for the better, but YMMV.

I also feel that this Bourbon is one that needs to have been open for a bit to really come around. Once it has been opened for a couple weeks, I love it. What strikes me is that I find it much more aggressive than both Antique and Pappy 15, which are all the same proof.

It also one of the few Bourbons that I add water to, as I feel this brings out some of the hidden sweetness. With Antique and Pappy 15, the sweetness is obvious, but not so with Old Rip 107.

What I really like about it is that it seems to gives me a different experience every time, and I mean from the same bottle. I can't say that about most others.

[T Comp]

I spent time last night tasting side by side, recent releases of ORVW 107 and OWA. Quite a lesson in their differences and I'll assume the role of age, barrel selection and brand profile. When compared OWA = sweeter, more citrus (orange/tropical) fruit, sweet candy, cream, higher heat in the mouth and shorter finish. ORVW = eucalyptus, ash, lead pencil, more caramel, more vanilla and more complexity with long dry finish. Both are so good in their own right but ORVW 107 is a top contender for my stranded on an island bourbon and worth the extra $15 to $20 price point.

[flintlock]

By far Old Weller Antique is the closest I have found. At about $20 a bottle it's a great value and damn tasty.

I have to agree...I have a 200 of OWA bottled in 2003 and it tastes remarkably similar. There is more heat and spice with the ORVW, but they have a tremendous amount in common.

Now, as for new OWA...well, so far I'm having trouble finishing the bottle, and am considering what I'll vat it with.

[Whiskey Willie]

Can anyone think of a bourbon that this compares to? And I don't mean something that costs three times as much.

As mentioned, Weller Antique 107 is very comparable. I usually have either A107 or ORVW107 in my cabinet. Both are excellent wheaters...Great choice for BOTM.