the PVW enigma

[oldironstomach]

Something has had me curious for the past two weeks now. When I first bought a bottle of PVW20 some years back at the county store, I'm fairly certain the display included the quip about the BTI's 99 rating. At the time, I knew exactly squat about bourbon (although I was already a fan of VWFRR13) so the "99" loomed large in my shopping mind. Yes, I know, naïve.

Flash forward. Being a lightweight drinker, I still have that same bottle. And now knowing somewhat more about Pappy's legacy, I was more than a little surprised when last month, a taste of it screamed out "rye-recipe". Yes, it's a green-glass Lawrenceburg-label bottling. Yes, I know you guys have known for a while that the first bottling was not the now-classic Stitzel-Weller wheater.

So, did the BTI give their 99 to the rye-recipe original bottling, or am I missing something here? When was the first Pappy 20 bottling of S-W whiskey?

[barturtle]

Yes the 99 score was given to the rye-recipe, it dropped a few points when the tasted the wheater. BTI doesn't have a current score on their site, but Pappy 15 is rated a 98, and I happen to have a printout of some scores from June of 2001 and the 99 score was from a tasting in '96 and at that time ORVW 15 was given a 97, the 23yo was given a 96 during a tasting in '99.

A few more from the printout.
A.H.Hirsch 20 98 (1/10/99)
Noahs Mill 15 96 (12/01/96)
Bookers 95 (12/09/96)
Wild Turkey 12 94 (01/10/99)
A.H.Hirsch 16 94 (01/10/99)
Old Crow 91 ((06/01/94)-I think I need to find some '94 Old Crow!!!
Blantons 91 (12/09/96)

Ryes:
Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 95 (01/10/99)
Wild Turkey Rye 91 (08/29/99)
A.H.Hirsch 13 89 (01/10/99)
Jim Beam Rye 83 (12/01/96)

just for fun, the last on their list of 63 then was Ten High with an 80 (01/10/99) the current low man on the totem pole (of only 24) is Old Whiskey River with an 80 (02/23/05)...so they must grade on an 80-100 scale

[OscarV]

S
So, did the BTI give their 99 to the rye-recipe original bottling, or am I missing something here? When was the first Pappy 20 bottling of S-W whiskey?

In the above post you mention the "BTI".
What does that stand for and how does one access this for information?

Thanks,
Oscar

[oldironstomach]

In the above post you mention the "BTI".
What does that stand for and how does one access this for information?

That would be the "Beverage Tasting Institute" (link).

[TnSquire]

....the last on their list of 63 then was Ten High with an 80 (01/10/99) the current low man on the totem pole (of only 24) is Old Whiskey River with an 80 (02/23/05)...so they must grade on an 80-100 scale

Must not be much of a scale.

[oldironstomach]

You can blame Robert Parker for that one.

[Old Lamplighter]

the current low man on the totem pole (of only 24) is Old Whiskey River with an 80 (02/23/05)...so they must grade on an 80-100 scale

That's great - I cannot agree more wholeheartedly. Having made the mistake of trying Old Whiskey River once, I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams it being an 80 on any scale other than an 80-100.

Great observation and analysis on your part!!!