ORVW Spring vs. Fall Release

[mosugoji64]

We've had quite a bit of discussion lately on the latest release of Pappy 15 and there seems to be a consensus that it's significantly different from previous releases. For the fun of it, I decided to compare the Spring release of ORVW 10/107 to the Fall release. I wasn't expecting much of a difference since the juice for both releases is most likely the BT wheat recipe. Boy, was I surprised! My Spring ORVW was bottled on March 7 at 9:32 a.m. (if that matters) and the Fall was bottled on November 7 at 7:50 a.m. Here's what I gleaned from a blind tasting of the two. Keep in mind that my tasting vocabulary isn't well-developed:

Spring: The nose is very oakey with subtle caramel and pepper in the background. The nose carries over to the palate with some candied fruit and faint toffee underneath. It has a moderate finish with a light burn. A WSR sweetness becomes apparent in the finish revealing its BT source.

Fall: The nose is VERY sweet with lots of vanilla sugar and black tea. The palate is much lighter and strikingly similar to WSR. It has that candied cherry flavor of WSR with very little evidence of 10 years in oak. There's a little in the background, but not much. The finish is noticeably shorter with a lingering sugary quality.

My Spring bottle has been open since then, so I allowed the Fall glass to sit for the better part of the afternoon to allow for some oxidation. I don't know if that made any difference since I didn't taste it right out of the bottle.

I also tasted a little Weller 12 and WSR for comparison. The comparison confirmed the similarity of the Fall release to WSR. I also found the Weller 12 to be more balanced and equally enjoyable even at the lower proof.

If this is the direction in which they're going with ORVW, I don't really see any justification for spending the time or money on ORVW. Don't get me wrong, ORVW is very good but there's little to distinguish it from the Weller line. With Weller readily available for considerably less, why bother.

That's my take on it. I'm interested in what others here think.

[Brisko]

I don't have the fall release but your notes on the spring are pretty similar to my recollection of it. I do recall it was fairly oaky for a 10 y/o.

At the time I compared it to OWA and while the ORVW was obviously better, I'm not convinced that it was worth double the price.

And I didn't do a head-to-head but my sense is that the ORVW was oakier than the 2009 WLW that I have open. I would say that it was nicely balanced, though.

[White Dog]

FWIW, I gets lots of oaky aggression on the fall and spring releases of ORVW 107proof. With cutting, it does not improve in the way it should, given the price and scarcity, IMHO.

It's gotten to the point where I'm only going to seek out the Rye and the 20.

[mosugoji64]

I ended up mixing the two after taking notes and the combination was better than the individuals. Still, I think I'll be content with Weller 12 and OWA from now on.

[wadewood]

I think I'll be content with Weller 12 and OWA from now on.

Both these in big handles and blend them. For about $18/bottle you get about a 10YO 100 proof damn close to current Van Winkle. Save your old VW 10/107 bottle and refill it yourself.

[mosugoji64]

Both these in big handles and blend them. For about $18/bottle you get about a 10YO 100 proof damn close to current Van Winkle. Save your old VW 10/107 bottle and refill it yourself.

Good idea. I may have to give that a try!

[clingman71]

Both these in big handles and blend them. For about $18/bottle you get about a 10YO 100 proof damn close to current Van Winkle. Save your old VW 10/107 bottle and refill it yourself.

Just tried this for the first time, brilliant. Why hadn't I already thought of this? There is a good chance that this could become my everyday pour.

[dridge11]

Totally newbie question but I can't quite put together the right search terms to get the answer...how do you get the specific bottling date/time?

[mosugoji64]

Totally newbie question but I can't quite put together the right search terms to get the answer...how do you get the specific bottling date/time?

Van Winkles have a code printed on the bottle. Some single barrels are dated as well, but I don't think the practice is common beyond that.

[Old Lamplighter]

Both these in big handles and blend them. For about $18/bottle you get about a 10YO 100 proof damn close to current Van Winkle. Save your old VW 10/107 bottle and refill it yourself.

Great idea! I experimented with a similar combo on a small scale a couple of weeks ago. About once or twice a year, I give in & allow my wife to drag me off to a movie that she has insisted I "must see". This time it was the latest Twilight flick. To get me thru these times, I usually carry along a flask. Of course, this time it could not be found so I hijacked an old 200ml of SW WSR that was hanging around. Only problem was it was only about 1/4 full. So, I grabbed the next best thing and filled it to the halfway point with OWA. It was a winner for sure. Not exactly as rich as W12 + OWA but definitely something I will try again as well as run with W12.