Old Weller Antique NAS 107 vs. Old Rip Van Winkle 10/107

[JayMonster]

OK, this is my planned "showdown" tasting this week. OWA107 vs ORVW107

Since trumpstylz already started with the Weller 12 vs. ORVW battle for the 90 proofs, I am curious to see what you think about how the 107 proofers stack up. Is there much of a difference from the 90 proof? Or do you prefer one at one proof and the other at the higher (or lower) proof?

[clingman71]

I've had about 3 bottles if the spring '11 ORVW 10/107 vs one bottle of OWA(I now blend all of my OWA with W12). While I love them both, there is no comparison to me, the Old Rip is better. More of everything that I like. I'm not the best at putting it into words on the screen, it's just better. Now, we are talking flavor here, if you include value, then the $ of the VW comes into play. The playing field gets leveled so to speak.

[dridge11]

I have to agree, even though i'm just a few pours into each bottle. I think the ORVW is a LITTLE tastier, but OWA is a better buy. But there isn't a bad decision to be made between the two. They sit side by side at the front of my bourbon collection.

[Beer&Bourbon]

I think these are both spectacular pours. The OWA is a go-to for me; it's readily available and priced right. I've only seen one bottle of 10/107 (when I wasn't forced to choose between that and other Pappy bottlings) and am glad I picked it up. It's a bit less harsh than the OWA with more integrated flavors. I like it a lot and would buy it all the time at the 30ish price point.

[Brisko]

I agree with pretty much everybody else: ORVW is clearly better than OWA. Better integrated, better balanced, etc. Is it worth double the price? I don't know. I've gone back and forth on that question a lot over the last year or so.

For what it's worth, I don't go searching for ORVW. I buy it when I see it but I certainly don't go looking for it when there's OWA to be had at half the price (and year-round).

Regarding proof I always buy at the highest proof available. I can (and often do) add my own water when I want.

[clingman71]

I've had about 3 bottles if the spring '11 ORVW 10/107 vs one bottle of OWA(I now blend all of my OWA with W12). While I love them both, there is no comparison to me, the Old Rip is better. More of everything that I like. I'm not the best at putting it into words on the screen, it's just better. Now, we are talking flavor here, if you include value, then the $ of the VW comes into play. The playing field gets leveled so to speak.

[JayMonster]

OK, I am not going to bog this down with (complete) tasting notes (I'll do that in the tasting forum), but I can say this... I think the "winner" in this showdown was... me.

I was initially expecting these two to very similar, and while they certainly had some traits in common, they were certainly different enough that I don't feel a "which is better" can really be done. At least not in my initial impressions.

The ORVW was far more bold, far more oak and, I guess as Beer&Bourbon put it, more "integrated" tasting. There are some subtle sweet tastes, but they seem to lose out to the oak. This is not necessarily bad, it just makes the ORVW far more, I guess... aggressive, than what I have come to expect out of a wheater.

OWA has a more, "classic" (??) wheater taste. Less oak, more sweet almost brown sugar-ish, the vanilla comes through more clear, and while it has less of an oak taste, it also has more of an alcohol burn on the finish and is slightly rougher around the edges.

You can definitely see what a difference a couple of years in the wood can do here when trying to compare them.

I can't say that I can pick a winner. ORVW is a tough find so far in NJ, otherwise I would say there is a spot on my bar for both of these, and for as long as I have them both around, my mouth winds up the winner.

[ILLfarmboy]

I love both.

Comparing them head to head is unfair. I've tried thinking of an analogy to describe what I mean. Nothing seems to fit. The best can come up with is 'imagine a favorite way to prepare a less than ripe fruit verses a perfictly ripe peice of the same fruit'.....and that dosn't really ,either.

OWA is what I reach for when I want a simple yet bold drink. ORVW 10 107 is what I reach for when I want the same basic thing amped up, made more complex and with more oak.

[trumpstylz]

Yeah, its no contest- I think mainly b/c while the weller decreases age as it goes up in proof (12 year-antique), the van winkle stays the same (90-107). But the vw 107 is about 2x as much.

[Parkersback]

I can understand why this comparison/showdown is happening, and it's interesting to read, but it's also such a moot point for so many people that it makes the natural inclination to compare these two basically pointless, IMHO. I'm not knocking your thread JayMonster, truly. I'm interested to hear people's feedback on these two. But what should be two whiskeys that are kissing cousins are actually Hatfields and McCoys: one of them a "people's" bourbon that can be had just about anywhere for under $25, and the other, an impossibly hard to find, once a year offering that struts and frets in its exclusivity ike it is God's gift to bourbon.

I have seen ORVW--either proof--on the shelf exactly twice in the last two years. The last time I saw it, it was $69.99 (and I am pretty sure that was the 90 proof). Both times I saw it, it was gone within a few days.

Why this is in such short supply, I cannot understand.

I can't really embrace a 10 year old product that has to be hunted like the Lord God Bird and costs three times as much as other similarly aged/positioned bourbons (EC12, RR10, and of course W12 or OWA).

And if you're a Dark Side fan, you can get Highland Park 12 (or 15!) for about the same price, and without having to hire a private investigator. ORVW, are you kidding me?

When I can walk in to a store anytime I want and grab an ORVW for $40, I'll be back. Otherwise, I'm not feeling it anymore.

[trumpstylz]

I can understand why this comparison/showdown is happening, and it's interesting to read, but it's also such a moot point for so many people that it makes the natural inclination to compare these two basically pointless, IMHO.

I appreciate the showdown threads more than any other type (obviously), mainly because it tells you what to put your dollar toward. There will obviously be discrepancies, but for the most part, I trust the people on here to guide me toward one or the other as opposed to listening to the the lone guy at the store or the "professionals" (minus the ones on this site, of course). If we had an endlsess supply of funds, we would just try them all, but until then... :cool:

But on the same note- i can see where comparing a bourbon that costs 2x as another might be foolish. However, the numbers do correspond somewhat (7-10 and 107-107), but there is obviously much more to it than that.

[dustyj]

OWA is one of my favorite. I can pick (or have) some OWA that can blow the doors off of a ORVW 10/107. But can also pick (or have) some ORVW 10/107 that will kick a__ on the OWA. Of the current offering I lost interest in the OWA. Just not the same. Same goes for the ORVW 10/107...Just not the same. I think the quality of both have fallen a bit....if not more. All said I would definitely pick the age stated ORVW 10/107.

[JayMonster]

I can understand why this comparison/showdown is happening, and it's interesting to read, but it's also such a moot point for so many people that it makes the natural inclination to compare these two basically pointless, IMHO. I'm not knocking your thread JayMonster, truly. I'm interested to hear people's feedback on these two. But what should be two whiskeys that are kissing cousins are actually Hatfields and McCoys: one of them a "people's" bourbon that can be had just about anywhere for under $25, and the other, an impossibly hard to find, once a year offering that struts and frets in its exclusivity ike it is God's gift to bourbon.

I have seen ORVW--either proof--on the shelf exactly twice in the last two years. The last time I saw it, it was $69.99 (and I am pretty sure that was the 90 proof). Both times I saw it, it was gone within a few days.

Why this is in such short supply, I cannot understand.

I can't really embrace a 10 year old product that has to be hunted like the Lord God Bird and costs three times as much as other similarly aged/positioned bourbons (EC12, RR10, and of course W12 or OWA).

And if you're a Dark Side fan, you can get Highland Park 12 (or 15!) for about the same price, and without having to hire a private investigator. ORVW, are you kidding me?

When I can walk in to a store anytime I want and grab an ORVW for $40, I'll be back. Otherwise, I'm not feeling it anymore.

I understand your frustrations with ORVW (or really anything VW really), but to be honest, being from NJ, I can say the same about a LOT of bourbon that is considered "readily available" by most of the rest of the Bourbon Drinking world.

I just happen to be lucky enough to have this bottle of ORVW fall in my lap, so I thought it would be interesting enough to see how (or if) these items compared... and availability is certainly part of the equation. Because, while I certainly like the ORVW, I am not the type to run all over creation to hunt down an elusive bourbon.

As you state quite correctly, one would think that these would be "kissin' cousins" and for me anyway, really helped show off the differences of age, barrel placement, etc and how they can make two "basically equal" bourbons come out quite differently.

And I thought it was worth the discussion.

[JayMonster]

I appreciate the showdown threads more than any other type (obviously), mainly because it tells you what to put your dollar toward. There will obviously be discrepancies, but for the most part, I trust the people on here to guide me toward one or the other as opposed to listening to the the lone guy at the store or the "professionals" (minus the ones on this site, of course). If we had an endlsess supply of funds, we would just try them all, but until then... :cool:

But on the same note- i can see where comparing a bourbon that costs 2x as another might be foolish. However, the numbers do correspond somewhat (7-10 and 107-107), but there is obviously much more to it than that.

I like specific "showdowns" as well, mostly because it inspires more direct comparisons, rather than the typical "I like(or don't) XYZ but there is *better things for the money or less" comments which really don't provide much and are too vague to be useful without an "example."

I must have been really lucky, or gotten a mispriced bottle of ORVW because it was not the "twice as much" as everybody else seems to be quoting. (either that, or I am paying too much for OWA). But of course, my chances of finding it again are remote at best.

[dustyj]

"And I thought it was worth the discussion."

Is so IS worth the discussion. Thats what we do. Discuss. And this gives me an opportunity to say that one of my all time favorites is now one of the most popular bourbons for vatting.?? Please note the sarcasm.

[T Comp]

...And I thought it was worth the discussion.

Definitely...that's why we're here.

[AaronWF]

In Chicago, OWA is $21.99 and ORVW 10/107 is $34.99. It's isn't too challenging to pick up an ORVW when you stay on top of the release. I drink neither of these very often, but I'd much rather spend $26 on two VOB BiB than $22 on an OWA, and I happily spent $105 on three bottles of ORVW 10/107 in the last release.

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but the ORVW indeed blows the OWA outta the water IMO.

That said, I wouldn't pay more than $40-$45 for the ORVW. And we're talking about the 107 here, the 90 that I had was pretty yukkkkk.

So, my value scores would be:

OWA: $18/$22

ORVW 10/107: $41/$35

[hectic1]

Aaron,

You really need to try the OWA SB's that we picked...I would take either of them over ORVW 10/107!

[AaronWF]

Aaron,

You really need to try the OWA SB's that we picked...I would take either of them over ORVW 10/107!

Bob, I assure you that you'll get no resistance from me! Is this write up by chance of your same barrels?

http://bourbondork.blogspot.com/2012/01/influx-of-great-bourbon.html#comment-form

[hectic1]

Why yes...it is!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk from a galaxy far far away!

[wadewood]

Bob, I assure you that you'll get no resistance from me! Is this write up by chance of your same barrels?

http://bourbondork.blogspot.com/2012/01/influx-of-great-bourbon.html#comment-form

drinking some barrel #5 right now - very tasty.

[Bigspur2011]

I have had ORVW 10/90, I was not the impressed especially at $40.00. I love OWA and think it is a great drink especilly at $21.00. I really want to try ORVW 10/107 if it is as good as everyone says it is. I guess I will have to wait for the next release.