BOTM: 7/12 Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye

[White Dog]

In my state, Rye and 15yr are the rarest of the rare. You never see them on shelves anymore, and if you have not already made relationships with retailers, forget about it.

[Tico]

I've never seen VWFRR on the shelf. In your experience, how easy is it to find compared to Lot B and the rest of the Pappy line?

I've seen every bottling of pappy and old rip on the shelf multiple times, only seen VWFRR once in the wild.

[SDpappy]

These threads make me sad that I passed on some VW Rye last November. But thankfully local bar has it for $12 for 2 oz pours. Never had it blind though. Wonder if I could pick it out of a lineup.

[compliance]

Age statement comparisons aside, I find it from between $60 and $70, and that's a fair price, IMHO.

Not just fair, that price is practically giving it away in this market. #1 for its actual age, and #2 it's one of the best whiskeys on the market today period. I have to agree it's the rarest of all the VanWinkle/Pappy line out here. I've never seen one in the wild.

[bigtoys]

quite rare. I'm gonna make it my number 1 choice at the next release.

[Chuckles]

Gee, thanks, Joe. I had been saving opening my sole bottle of VWFRR for an occasion more special than a break in the heat wave, but I'm always game to join the BOTM discussion (assuming a rye can be bourbon of the month)--especially if I have the subject at hand in hand. So I've been sampling my VWFRR for a couple of weeks now. I want to love it, but I just don't. I like it--pretty much, I guess, as the bottle's level is lowering quickly--but I don't love it. Like Joe, I love my wheaters, esp. my Van Winkles. But I like my rye on the rough side. The VWFRR has a great nose, decent legs, and okay mouth feel. It's got a nice dose of the heat and spice I like in a rye, but the finish doesn't linger as I hoped it would. As suggested on an earlier post, I'll let the open bottle rest till winter, and see how I feel then. I like rye better in the cold months anyway. When I have a hankering for a rye now, I think I'll keep reaching for something Handy.

[biskuit]

Another "one of my favorites" - I got lucky the past two releases (that included the rye) with one bottle each time, I rarely break it out because I treasure it so much, though! Need to fix that thinking.

[jeanraulmitchell]

Gee, thanks, Joe. I had been saving opening my sole bottle of VWFRR for an occasion more special than a break in the heat wave, but I'm always game to join the BOTM discussion (assuming a rye can be bourbon of the month)--especially if I have the subject at hand in hand. So I've been sampling my VWFRR for a couple of weeks now. I want to love it, but I just don't. I like it--pretty much, I guess, as the bottle's level is lowering quickly--but I don't love it. Like Joe, I love my wheaters, esp. my Van Winkles. But I like my rye on the rough side. The VWFRR has a great nose, decent legs, and okay mouth feel. It's got a nice dose of the heat and spice I like in a rye, but the finish doesn't linger as I hoped it would. As suggested on an earlier post, I'll let the open bottle rest till winter, and see how I feel then. I like rye better in the cold months anyway. When I have a hankering for a rye now, I think I'll keep reaching for something Handy.

I felt the same way until I started taking larger than normal amounts into my mouth. I was thinking VWFRR needs to touch all the parts in your mouth at once to really get what I think is a very elegant whisky. This isn't a regular whiskey and that's why I find it unique to have to drink it like it's something other than whiskey to find that elegance, kind of a paradox. It does possess something entirely different than any other whiskey I've tried. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd trade anyone a bottle of it for a 2008 or older PVW 15 but I do think it's a special whiskey. Last fall, I ran across, if I remember correctly, five bottles. I have one left from the fall now and I gave one to a really good friend. Guess, I liked it enough to go through three bottles. The funny thing is, is I hit this rural area near KY about a week after the allocation and I found only these ryes. I think I grabbed 1 of 2 ORVW 107s off the shelves & I saw a 23yo there. Here in LA, forget it, VW isn't on the shelves unless it's an overpriced ORVW and that usually means the 90 proof. I can go tomorrow & get 5 Handy bottles within 5 miles from my place. I love that one too and glad I can usually find it any day of the year. But if VWFRR was out there tomorrow I'd be on my way before they opened.

[OscarV]

The Van Winkle rye is bourbonesque. Like the post before this one said, "...a very elegant whiskey".

[unclebunk]

The Van Winkle rye is bourbonesque. Like the post before this one said, "...a very elegant whiskey".

How very true. I pull my open bottle out from time to time and always marvel at its roundness and elegance. Such a shame that the stuff is now rare as hen's teeth.