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


fishnbowljoe
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Man I'm on a roll. The BOTM is up on time for the third month in a row! :grin:

Let's see if this one will get a few more responses than the last BOTM. There's been a little talk here and there lately about this one, so I thought it would be a good one for BOTM. The BOTM for this month is Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr 107 proof.

My thoughts FWIW:

Color-A nice medium reddish brown hue that shows it has a couple extra years in the barrel.

Legs-A bit on the thin side, spaced evenly about 1/2 an inch apart. Fairly fast flow down the sides of the glass.

Nose-Ahhh, here's where it starts getting good. What a heavenly aroma. To steal a description from Randy, "ethereal". I get a lot of butterscotch, just a bit of leather and tobacco, and a fruit I can't quite put my finger on. Dates, or raisins perhaps? :skep: The nose reminds me of some of the "good ole' stuff" that isn't made anymore.

Taste-My first sip seemed a bit "sharp". The proof seemed to mask the flavors that were present in the aroma. They were still there, but the alcohol covered them up to a degree. But alas, I think I have become a fairly decent student. I let it sit in the glass a few minutes, and that opened it up a lot. The alcohol burn was replaced by more of the flavors that were present in the "nose". :cool: A splash of water seemed to bring out the leather, and a touch of wood. A couple of ice cubes brought out more of the tobacco flavor, and actually seemed to take away from the overall goodness of this bourbon. Reckon I'll have to drink this one neat after letting it sit a spell. :grin:

Overall, IMHO a great bourbon. Worthy of any bunker. A bit disappointed I only have one bottle.

Cheers and good posting. Joe

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Overall, IMHO a great bourbon. Worthy of any bunker. A bit disappointed I only have one bottle.

Cheers and good posting. Joe

Only one bottle? I feel for you brother.

I'll have one less tomorrow when I open one.

Great choice Joe. Great notes as well.

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Only one bottle? I feel for you brother.

I'll have one less tomorrow when I open one.

Great choice Joe. Great notes as well.

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Nice review Joe.... This has always been a good pour but has been a bit over shadowed by its other family members.

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I have one bottle of this that has set unopened for about a month. Guess I was waiting for it to be posted as BOTM. Gives me an excuse to open it up this evening and watch the snow fall.

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Great notes, Joe! I have the ORVW 10/107 and ORVW 10/90 open on my bar and they are both great bourbons, but I don't go back visit them as often as I should. Definitely a good choice for BOTM. I'll post some notes after I revisit this great pour!

Jack

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Nice notes, Big Joe! I've always loved ORVW 10/107. To me it's the perfect balance of age and proof and has the added benefit of being a wheater which is a nice change of pace from the many ryed bourbons that populate my liquor cabinet. Some of the bottles I've had over the years have had slightly more body than others but all have had wonderful flavor and aroma, though I once had a bottle of the 90 proof that tasted exactly like an ashtray. In fact, it was so bad that I couldn't even get my friend, affectionately known as "The Human Drain" due to his capacity to consume all spirits in large quantities, to touch the stuff. Weird!

I should mention that I was first drawn to ORVW by the cool "parchment" label and bottle shape. That old Rip Van Winkle/Popcorn Sutton-looking character on the label always made me feel like I was drinking whiskey from a jug on some backwoods mountain top. What other cool bottle/label can give you nearly as much enjoyment as the whiskey inside?

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OK Joe; you're just tryin' to get me in trouble aren't cha!!!!

I found a couple bottles during a dusty hunt last week and had them safely hidden in the back of a downstairs cabinet. Now I've hauled one out and risk the wife spotting that new distinctive label.

I have to agree with the nose, butterscotch, spice and a bit of leather, quite distinctive from the other bourbons I have been drinking, a bit sweet.

There is defiantly an edge when just poured with the butterscotch most prevalent; but allowed to sit a minute and the edge is gone. I tried a couple drops of branch from a small straw and it seems to have killed much of the nose while letting the leather and wood come out in the taste and nearly eliminating the legs. I'm going to have to get a small notebook as it seems I am having trouble remembering what I have noted about legs as the tasting progresses.

A VERY nice pour, one that deserves a permanent spot on the bar and at the price could become a regular.

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Nice pick, Joe! It really is a delightful whiskey, and I agree that pouring it over ice is counterproductive. I nursed a bottle for 18 months, but now it is gone. I'll be looking for another next time I'm on the Mainland. Cheers!

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An old favourite of mine. Not as good as it used to be, to my taste though. I have fortunately bunkered some bottles from 2002. Very good bourbon indeed.

Leif

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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::

SAM_0227.jpg

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Great post, and a great pic too Adrian. :grin: Cheers to you! Joe

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Geez Joe, I was doing so well at finishing off open bottles and then you post this BOTM. However, after bringing one out of the bunker and having a pour, you're forgiven. Good call!

Gary

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Nice pic Medicfrost!

Great choice for the BOTM. I almost always have a bottle of this open and will have to have a pour soon. Glad to have many of these bunkered away.

Drinking OWA 107 tonight and thoroughly enjoying it, esp as it's sat 3/4 full and has opened up. But ORVW 107 still surpasses this, much more depth and complexity.

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In an effort to become more active in the boards, I was excited to see this an ran to my pantry. Unfortunately, I've apparently depleted my supply and only have the 90 proof in my collection. I'm going to hit up the Partymart tomorrow, hopefully they have some in stock.

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I got 11 Old Rip 10/107's bunkered so yes you can say I like it.

It's like carmelized toffee. I prefer it over the Pappy 15, 20 & 23.

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I got 11 Old Rip 10/107's bunkered so yes you can say I like it.

It's like carmelized toffee. I prefer it over the Pappy 15, 20 & 23.

I like the Old Rip 10/107 just as much as the 15. The 20 and 23 are just so different that they aren't comparable IMO. All are great, and for some reason I don't have a 10/107 open right now. I'm going to change that this afternoon. I think I have a dozen or so of them.

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Great choice Joe. I have more of this than any other whiskey. It never disappoints me, and the bottles sitting there on the shelf give me a warm glow. I hope nothing happens to this wonderful spirit and that the quality stays high.

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One of the reliable classics! Regardless of origin, a great. always-satisfying wheater. I've got a bunch bunkered. It's one of my reliable, "go-to" pours. Just the right amount of age and proof to make it a one of the best.

:toast:

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

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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::

SAM_0227.jpg

Best review to date!

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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.

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Best review to date!

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

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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.

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