Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 rye

[Attila]

On the bottle of the bottles there is a strange logo that spells SAV. Anyone knows what that stands for?

[The Boozer]

Picked up what was the last bottle of VWF Rye the other day - # I. Looks like MI won't be getting anymore as it appears to have been dropped from the State list. That sucks. Going to have to travel out of state to get more.

TJ

[Josh]

Picked up what was the last bottle of VWF Rye the other day - # I. Looks like MI won't be getting anymore as it appears to have been dropped from the State list. That sucks. Going to have to travel out of state to get more.

TJ

[The Boozer]

Josh

tried to PM you - didn't work.

Where did you find the Rye at. Got mine at Red Wagon shop in Rochester Hills. Need to get together on Friday?

Tim

[Josh]

Josh

tried to PM you - didn't work.

Where did you find the Rye at. Got mine at Red Wagon shop in Rochester Hills. Need to get together on Friday?

Tim

Sounds good. I sent a pm, hopefully it will come thru.

[JamesW]

Just cracked my first bottle open this week. Bottle # G778. I love it! Tastes more like a bourbon than a rye to me though, not that that's a bad thing, but I wasn't expecting it to be that way. If it were a bourbon then I'd have to say that it would be one of the better bourbons I've had. It must be 51% rye and 49% corn to get that flavoring. The aging also seems to have taken down the rye bite a bit too I guess. Either way I'm thrilled with it and would buy more if I see it. Purchased it on a drive-by at a hole-in-the-wall little beer shop that had a couple whiskeys on the wall behind the counter. It looks like it was there a long time. At $35 it was a steal.

[DeanSheen]

$35! That was a steal you lucky guy.

[Special Reserve]

$35 for a bottle of VWFR is a steal. I agree about the taste. In MI it is $55+ if you can find it. As stated above it has been removed from the state list. Too bad.

[DowntownD]

it's my favorite whiskey.

and at $40 here in Colorado, not cost-prohibitive.

[JamesW]

it's my favorite whiskey.

and at $40 here in Colorado, not cost-prohibitive.

It is now a favorite of mine as well. Wish there were more in these parts (and at that price :grin: )

[p_elliott]

Just cracked my first bottle open this week. Bottle # G778. I love it! Tastes more like a bourbon than a rye to me though, not that that's a bad thing, but I wasn't expecting it to be that way. If it were a bourbon then I'd have to say that it would be one of the better bourbons I've had. It must be 51% rye and 49% corn to get that flavoring. The aging also seems to have taken down the rye bite a bit too I guess. Either way I'm thrilled with it and would buy more if I see it. Purchased it on a drive-by at a hole-in-the-wall little beer shop that had a couple whiskeys on the wall behind the counter. It looks like it was there a long time. At $35 it was a steal.

Gotta be some barley in there some where :grin:

[funknik]

it's my favorite whiskey.

and at $40 here in Colorado, not cost-prohibitive.

At that price, I would not be shy about stocking plenty of this one!

[JamesW]

I just spotted another bottle but this time at $56. I had them put it aside for me and I'll be picking it up this Friday after I get paid. Man, $35 was so sweet. I have that price-point in my head now. At $40 I'd buy a case Downtown! I'm still getting it at $56 since I really loved it and I probably won't see more in these parts... the owner of the liquor store said he had just picked it up in Illinois.

[DeanSheen]

It's a harsh mistress. Usually the last bottle I'll drink from on the bar and the one I most hesitate to open.

I have 2 in the bunker and 1 half finished that I opened about 3 weeks ago, I just like looking at it apparently as I drink through the other options at my disposal.

[JamesW]

It's a harsh mistress. Usually the last bottle I'll drink from on the bar and the one I most hesitate to open.

I have 2 in the bunker and 1 half finished that I opened about 3 weeks ago, I just like looking at it apparently as I drink through the other options at my disposal.

Well said. I just picked that bottle up for $56 this morning. It's an "I" and the one open on my bar is a "G" which has been fantastic.

I also eye the bottle every night and then slap my hand and reach for something less rare. Tonight I'll probably treat myself though as I feel a bit less exposed now that one is finally in the bunker.

[unclebunk]

Well said. I just picked that bottle up for $56 this morning. It's an "I" and the one open on my bar is a "G" which has been fantastic.

I also eye the bottle every night and then slap my hand and reach for something less rare. Tonight I'll probably treat myself though as I feel a bit less exposed now that one is finally in the bunker.

I've got one bottle that's been sitting in the liquor cabinet for some time now, just waiting for that special occasion to be opened. But tonight I'm going to crack it open, as I found three more bottles yesterday at $40 each, in a store near where my wife works and didn't have enough money on me to grab them. I guess I'll be heading back for the score after reading all the glowing remarks.

[unclebunk]

I just ran upstairs to check out the bottle of VWFRR 13 that I already have and it says on the top of the label "I-1996." Now I'm confused as hell because I went back to the very first post in this thread and read each and every one thereafter, including Fussychicken's spread sheet, and that has the "I" bottle dated 2007. I also noted an earlier post in which BourbonJoe mentions that the first "A" bottling to be released in the US came out in 1999. Can someone explain why my bottle says "I-1996"?

[unclebunk]

I think I can answer my own question. After browsing the internet a bit more I discovered that the "1996" following the "I" is not the year, but simply a bottle number. I'm guessing the other bottles I spotted in the liquor store are also labelled "I" but with different numbers following the letter. Doh! In any event, anyone care to comment on the quality of the "I" bottlings from 2007?

[DeanSheen]

Bunk,

For $40 each there is no need to worry about the quality. Your already buying them at a discount.

[JamesW]

Bunk,

For $40 each there is no need to worry about the quality. Your already buying them at a discount.

[unclebunk]

Hey guys, I grabbed the last three VWFRR at $42 each (went up $2 due to Illinois' ridiculous new "sin" tax on alcohol). They are "I" bottlings, so hold old is the juice again? Can't wait to sample tonight.

[Skunk]

Anyone know if it's really an 18yr old rye (as I've heard mentioned) and that the VW's are waiting for their barrels to mature to 13 yrs before swapping in that juice.

how old is this juice again?

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=154482&postcount=77

[unclebunk]

Thanks for the info, Skunk. To get 19 year old whiskey for $42 is a great deal any way you cut it. I had two pours of the VWFRR last night and was really knocked out. I know that age statements must reflect the youngest aged whiskey in the bottle, but I'm curious why Mr. Van Winkle would label the VWFRR as a 13 year old whiskey if the contents of the bottle are a mix of 19 year old Medley and, at least from what I gathered reviewing the other thread provided by Skunk, COK juice that has been identified as being either 17 or 19 years old. So why 13 then?

[Skunk]

So why 13 then?

As Vange said in the first post in this thread: "From what I understand, this has to do with having to register new labels for each state, pay each state's licensing fees, etc., so why print new labels and go through all that expense and hassle every year?".

I suppose you could argue that once it became the 19yo blend it is now, they could have made a new label and gotten 13 years of use out of it without re-registering etc. The only problem would be that in 2017, when the BT distillate is ready, it would go from a 19 year age statement back to 13 year. The consumers would then say 'we were getting 19yo for x amount, and they still want x amount even though it's only 13yo now, what a rip!' Instead, those of us in-the-know can enjoy what Julian Van Winkle described up-thread as "a hell of a deal", and probably with less scarcity than if it were on shelves for <$60 with a 19 YEAR OLD VAN WINKLE FRR label.

Anyway, I'm _really_ enjoying my H version, but at 59.97 I don't think I'll be replacing it any time soon. I feel fortunate just to have tasted it and hope that my memory will suffice. $42 dollars really is a hell of a deal though.

[smokinjoe]

As Vange said in the first post in this thread: "From what I understand, this has to do with having to register new labels for each state, pay each state's licensing fees, etc., so why print new labels and go through all that expense and hassle every year?".

I suppose you could argue that once it became the 19yo blend it is now, they could have made a new label and gotten 13 years of use out of it without re-registering etc. The only problem would be that in 2017, when the BT distillate is ready, it would go from a 19 year age statement back to 13 year. The consumers would then say 'we were getting 19yo for x amount, and they still want x amount even though it's only 13yo now, what a rip!' Instead, those of us in-the-know can enjoy what Julian Van Winkle described up-thread as "a hell of a deal", and probably with less scarcity than if it were on shelves for <$60 with a 19 YEAR OLD VAN WINKLE FRR label.

Anyway, I'm _really_ enjoying my H version, but at 59.97 I don't think I'll be replacing it any time soon. I feel fortunate just to have tasted it and hope that my memory will suffice. $42 dollars really is a hell of a deal though.

I believe that the same rationale can be made for the Michter's 10 yr rye. At least, up until a year or so ago. If I have the story correct, it is from the same 17-19 yr old COK juice, but the bottler (Chatham, I believe?) kept the 10 yr designation because of the label re-registration issue. Anyone, please correct me if I'm off, here.

I was lucky to pick up a couple of bottles a few years ago at $29. Most savvy retailers have learned of the story, and have them in the high $70-80's, now. Which leads me to really belive that changing labels must be a royal Pain in the Arse.