About All Things Pappy/VanWinkle

[jinenjo]

I suppose they are slowly transitioning the true age to a 13 year old rye. Maybe they'll let us know when that day comes. 

[shoshani]

On 12/16/2015, 11:04:31, Paddy said:

I miss 15 year old ORVW in squat bottles, among other things...

 

Tell you a secret: I had the 15YO ORVW in the squat bottle back in 1998 or 1999 or so. I didn't like it. Something about it tasted funky to me, but nearly 20 years on I couldn't tell you why. I stuck with the 10YO ORVW in the same squat bottle for a long time, a bottle or two a year, until just a few years ago when it became all but impossible. 

[tigerlam92]

On 1/23/2016, 7:49:41, shoshani said:

Tell you a secret: I had the 15YO ORVW in the squat bottle back in 1998 or 1999 or so. I didn't like it. Something about it tasted funky to me, but nearly 20 years on I couldn't tell you why. I stuck with the 10YO ORVW in the same squat bottle for a long time, a bottle or two a year, until just a few years ago when it became all but impossible. 

The great things with Bourbon is that it is so subjective.  We all prefer different things and options are out there for any of our taste.

For one drinking VVOF and many other great bourbon, ORVW15 is one of my all time favorites - nice nose, complex, balance.  Also it was the one that got my obsession going years ago.  At one point, I drank 3 bottles in one month, still have it in my bunker.  While the original ORVW10 was something I didn't like at all.  With the release of the 2014 newer ORVW10, that was good to me.

Also, our taste changes over time too.  

[shoshani]

On 1/26/2016, 4:12:18, tigerlam92 said:

The great things with Bourbon is that it is so subjective.  We all prefer different things and options are out there for any of our taste. [...] Also, our taste changes over time too.  

Yep. I know mine have over the years. (It's also why I'm very careful to say "I don't care for x" rather than just say "x is horrible". Because someone obviously likes it or it wouldn't be sold, and I may well find myself liking x in a few years. )

[CorvallisCracker]

My two cents on the whole thing.

Having been a bourbon drinker since the 1970s, I've bought various Van Winkle bottlings over the years. I've liked most (though a ORVW 10/107 I bought circa 2008 seemed dry and dusty to me), but the only one that I really crave is the rye. I stocked up on various expressions back when it was reasonably priced. This was before 2011, meaning that my PVW 15s and 20s are S-W make.

I would never pay the current prices. Too much good stuff easily found and reasonably priced (MMCS for $60, KCSB for $51, EWSB for $28, etc).

[shoshani]

If I had a time machine I'd go back 20 years and get as much as I could of Old Commonwealth, which was ORVW 10/107 but at lower retail. Well, if I had a time machine I'd probably go snag myself some pre-Prohibition juice, but that would be difficult without pre-Prohibition money (the bills were larger and the coins silver)...

[elmossle]

FYI boys and girls, VWRye was being bottled at BT today. Not sure if this is fresh juice or the last of the tanked stuff, but the run I saw them bottle was only about 1,300 bottles. Maybe they will do another run, but that could be it for the tanked stuff. Guess we will see this fall.

[Rick M.]

I bought a couple of bottlers of Lot B in Florida in 2010 and really enjoyed them.  Now I'm curious about the juice in the bottles.  Would they have been Bernheim spirit?  If so, how do they compare to the current BT sourced Lot B?

[fishnbowljoe]

Good question. I'm not quite sure when BT was first contracted for the Van Winkle bottlings. Your 2010's might have been distillate from Bernheim, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say they were probably from BT. I've had the opportunity to do SBS tastings of most of the Van Winkles a few times over the last number of years. (before purchasing) FWIW, most years I actually preferred the Lot B and ORVW 10 over Pappy 15 and Pappy 20. Pappy 23 wasn't in the equation. 

 

Cheers! Joe

[Rick M.]

45 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Good question. I'm not quite sure when BT was first contracted for the Van Winkle bottlings. Your 2010's might have been distillate from Bernheim, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say they were probably from BT. I've had the opportunity to do SBS tastings of most of the Van Winkles a few times over the last number of years. (before purchasing) FWIW, most years I actually preferred the Lot B and ORVW 10 over Pappy 15 and Pappy 20. Pappy 23 wasn't in the equation. 

 

Cheers! Joe

 

45 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Good question. I'm not quite sure when BT was first contracted for the Van Winkle bottlings. Your 2010's might have been distillate from Bernheim, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say they were probably from BT. I've had the opportunity to do SBS tastings of most of the Van Winkles a few times over the last number of years. (before purchasing) FWIW, most years I actually preferred the Lot B and ORVW 10 over Pappy 15 and Pappy 20. Pappy 23 wasn't in the equation. 

 

Cheers! Joe

Thanks, Joe!

[jsrudd]

On 8/5/2016 at 7:06 AM, fishnbowljoe said:

Good question. I'm not quite sure when BT was first contracted for the Van Winkle bottlings. Your 2010's might have been distillate from Bernheim, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say they were probably from BT. I've had the opportunity to do SBS tastings of most of the Van Winkles a few times over the last number of years. (before purchasing) FWIW, most years I actually preferred the Lot B and ORVW 10 over Pappy 15 and Pappy 20. Pappy 23 wasn't in the equation. 

 

Cheers! Joe

My guess is Bernheim. BT didn't start regularly making wheated bourbon until after it acquired the Weller brand in 1999. A 12-year-old bourbon bottled in 2010 must have been made in 1998 or before. That puts it squarely in the Bernheim years. 

 

Chuck, in a Whiskey Advocate article from 2012, says that the 2012 Lot B was a blend of Bernheim and BT. I think it follows that, at a minimum, the 2010 Lot B was a blend as well. 

[Rick M.]

On 8/12/2016 at 1:04 AM, jsrudd said:

My guess is Bernheim. BT didn't start regularly making wheated bourbon until after it acquired the Weller brand in 1999. A 12-year-old bourbon bottled in 2010 must have been made in 1998 or before. That puts it squarely in the Bernheim years. 

 

Chuck, in a Whiskey Advocate article from 2012, says that the 2012 Lot B was a blend of Bernheim and BT. I think it follows that, at a minimum, the 2010 Lot B was a blend as well. 

That's very interesting and useful information.  Thanks.

[petrel800]

Figured I'd just put this out there for fun. A neighbor is running in one of the major marathon and is running for charity. Apparently that is a way to get into the major races.

He hosted a charity event to raise funds and held a raffle. I donated a bottle of ORVW 10 for the raffle. The bottle far and away was the biggest raffle ticket draw of the night. I guess I post that because I'm surprised at how much it raised but at the same time I'm not. Glad I put that bottle up, I considered some others, but I doubt a 4RSBLE or a BTAC would have generated as much for the cause.

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[whiskey buyer]

The week of November 1st I will have a reason to celebrate, so how am I going to celebrate? I am going to finish of a bottle of Van Winkle 12 year family Reserve that was given to me by Julian.

 

[Bourbonmakesmepoop]

Some lady at Specs told me today, after asking for any special fall releases, that she had Noahs Mill, which is the "Closest thing to Pappy that there is".

Huh?

[tanstaafl2]

With no clue what KBD is putting in the bottle that may well be true...

[flahute]

5 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

With no clue what KBD is putting in the bottle that may well be true...

There is a small amount of wheated bourbon in the Noah's Mill blend. Hardly means it's the closest to PVW though.

[tanstaafl2]

10 hours ago, flahute said:

There is a small amount of wheated bourbon in the Noah's Mill blend. Hardly means it's the closest to PVW though.

 

Sorry Steve, I forgot to put the sarcafont on!

[flahute]

30 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

Sorry Steve, I forgot to put the sarcafont on!

I was tracking with ya!

Just spewing some useless trivia for anyone that's interested. 

[whiskey buyer]

On ‎9‎/‎13‎/‎2014 at 11:49 PM, mrmountainhop said:

Yeah. Fine quality, tasty, rich bourbon. That gets stored under the bar.

The older PVWFRR13 was starting to taste like stainless steel, anyway. +1, BT makes good juice.

Yeah but the markup may as well be on the 23 - the ultimate, prestige, "front and center on the bar" bottling. The 15 and 20, pray, stay at real market.

Then, my friend, you're going to sit the next few PVW cycles out. Because, let's face it: your retailer can get a real premium for that bottle. And to expect him not to get something back on the overage value is plain unfair. And unrealistic. A good retailer won't gouge you. But MSRP?

I would rather the Van Winkle's maintain their fine quality than to give in to this absurd market and deform their product to capitalize on it. Those cats deserve about the highest compliment whisky lovers can give. They make fine whiskey and haven't made it worse.

I can personally tell you that the Van Winkle slogan is not just a slogan, it is a commitment to quality. Always a fine bourbon.  The Van Winkles are great people.

[Richnimrod]

Wow!   Whouda thunk it?    I was in my local retail spirits establishment (the one I shop for pretty much every bottle I buy in the Mitten State) just a few minutes ago.    I was there to offer the proprietor a taste of this year's edition of OFBB.    We did the tasting, then he offered me a taste of the current Midsummer Night's Dram (Act 4, I think).     Interesting!    Anyway, after a few minutes of kibitzing about our opinions and impressions, he mentioned that he'd entered my name in his 'lottery' for Pappy, though I hadn't requested that service.    I told him, I really only was looking for WLW, and had heard from the other gentleman that they were to receive no BTAC at all this year.    He said that was true; but that he did get 3-bottles of Pappy; one each of the 15, 20, and 23.    He then blew me away with the fact that my name had been drawn for the Pappy 20!    He said that he'd been saving it for me, 'til I returned from the 'Up North' deer woods.        He'd written a note to call me about it on Monday; but of course, since I was there...     Anyway, to make an already long story end sooner... I carried that puppy (or is it, that 'Pappy'.  HA!) home .... at retail!    It's good to have such a relationship with the local purveyor.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Richnimrod

[flahute]

Nice Rich!! That's how it's done. 

[Richnimrod]

7 hours ago, flahute said:

Nice Rich!! That's how it's done. 

Thanx Steve.    Yeah.... Better to be LUCKY than Smart, eh?

The P-20 will likely be opened and enjoyed in a few days, when my Baby Boy comes up for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Cheers!

[BFerguson]

Caught this in this news today. I had to look twice at the bottle, and the price they referenced. No way Lot B is getting that kind of coin.

Of course, the whole meal was a over he tip example of insanity.

B

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[JTaylor]

Well, I was informed that my LS had a Pappy 23 at retail for me if I wanted it... even at retail that's an awful lot of coin for a bottle... Of course I said I would take it. I've never even seen a bottle in person let alone taste it, so $300 for what amounts to the Holy Grail of bourbon is I suppose somehow justifiable. While I have never tasted it, I'm almost certain that when I do I'll not think it worth the money, but as a genuine bourbon lover how do you not take that leap at least once? I guess you're paying some portion of the premium for what is sure to be some pretty good whisky in its own right, some amount for the rarity/demand, throw a few more bucks or top for the legend, and then decide how much you're willing to spend on the experience! I could say I'll never spend that kind of money for a bottle ever again, but who knows? How much will the 20 year cost next year??