Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 rye

[MikeK]

Ok guys..... I've scoured this whole thread and did not find my answer.

Can anyone tell me if there is a noticeable difference from the E bottling (100% Medley) and the F bottling (50/50 mix)?

[Gillman]

Well, I'd agree that the early bottlings (the original A, B, C, etc.) were very good, i.e., when the product was 13 years old, give (not take) a year or so. But in the later years when it aged up to 18 years, I didn't like it as much, and then the mingling seemed a decided improvement. It would be good to do a comparative tasting because you're right, Christian, it's easy to forget some of the specifics.

Gary

[tommyboy38]

I've only had the "I" and "A" bottlings and I absolutely love them.

[angler82]

Does anyone have a lead to even a single bottle of this in New England or NY? Been looking for it for about 8-9 months now. If so, send me a private message. Unfortunately I can't get booze shipped to MA.

[silverfish]

Does anyone have a lead to even a single bottle of this in New England or NY? Been looking for it for about 8-9 months now. If so, send me a private message. Unfortunately I can't get booze shipped to MA.

PM sent.

PM sent.

[Rutter]

Picked up a J bottle of this in London yesterday.

[OscarV]

VW rye is very bourbonesque.

[ErichPryde]

VW rye is very bourbonesque.

Do you like it for that quality, or dislike it because of that? Neither?

I wish that more of the vanilla from the oak was present since it is more borbounesque. Otherwise I'd want it to run in the other direction, with less bourbon notes and more of the interesting rye spice notes.

But that's me...

[OscarV]

VW rye is very bourbonesque.

**

Do you like it for that quality, or dislike it because of that? Neither?**

quote]

**

I like it like that, to me VW's are and/or should be unique and this rye definatley is unique.

[ErichPryde]

Another trait that Van Winkles should have is that they should be utterly drinkable. VW rye is pretty darn easy to put down! :cool:

[SMOWK]

Another trait that Van Winkles should have is that they should be utterly drinkable. VW rye is pretty darn easy to put down! :cool:

I concur! I've got a bottle packed in a box with other stuff ready for a trip to the Outer Banks tomorrow.

[tommyboy38]

Can't find any of this in Chicago lately but I have a few open bottles that should last until the next release....I hope.

[SMOWK]

Of the WLW09, PVW15, RittBIB, and VWFRR I took on the trip, the VWFRR is the only bottle that is "liked" by the other guy I'm with. It's 5 girls, one guy, and me.

Everything else seems to hurt everybody, but Matt sure appreciates the spice of the VWFRR! Indeed!

[unclebunk]

Still neck and neck with Saz18 as my favorite rye and three still in the bunker. Hooray!

[SMOWK]

mmmmm...saz18. I'm currently out, but, I should change that.

[cowdery]

The thing that gets me about the Van Winkle is that it was very ordinary rye whiskey when it was made. That just happened to be how they made rye at old Bernheim 20+ years ago. Then, of course, it wound up aging for much longer than intended.

Let's hope somebody has some rye in the pipeline shooting for a 10+ year old expression sometime soon. I hope, I hope, I hope.

Wouldn't that be nice?

[BourbonJoe]

That just happened to be how they made rye at old Bernheim 20+ years ago.

I thought VWFRR was a mixture of Cream Of Kentucky Rye and Medley Rye. Were either of these produced at Old Bernheim??

Joe :usflag:

[CorvallisCracker]

It's 5 girls, one guy, and me.

[cowdery]

I thought VWFRR was a mixture of Cream Of Kentucky Rye and Medley Rye. Were either of these produced at Old Bernheim??

Joe :usflag:

I don't know that it was ever a mixture. It started out as the Medley, made in Owensboro, then switched to the COK when the Medley ran out. The COK was made at old Bernheim in 1987.

[bluesbassdad]

I don't know that it was ever a mixture. It started out as the Medley, made in Owensboro, then switched to the COK when the Medley ran out. The COK was made at old Bernheim in 1987.

Chuck,

This is the first I've known about the provenance of this sometimes-fine bottling.

Is it possible to correlate the switch in juice to the three (at my last count) bottlings? As you may recall, I missed the first one, loved the second and didn't much like the third.

I recently discovered that I still have an unopened bottle of the gold foil -- after two previous attempts to clear it out of my collection. Heck, if it weren't a felony, I'd just as soon ship it to The Gazebo and let y'all drink a toast to me. :grin:

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[BourbonJoe]

See post #15 in this thread.

Joe :usflag:

[Rughi]

Chuck,

This is the first I've known about the provenance of this sometimes-fine bottling.

Is it possible to correlate the switch in juice to the three (at my last count) bottlings? As you may recall, I missed the first one, loved the second and didn't much like the third.

I recently discovered that I still have an unopened bottle of the gold foil -- after two previous attempts to clear it out of my collection. Heck, if it weren't a felony, I'd just as soon ship it to The Gazebo and let y'all drink a toast to me. :grin:

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

Dave, it sounds to me like you're talking about Hirsch 16.

And, lest any whippersnapper think that you wouldn't know the difference, I submit this chestnut that you authored in the early days of the forum

And, to edit a second time, I believe you had a Hirsch bottling of Van Winkle rye at one time, as well.

[SMOWK]

So, what, exactly, are you? :skep:

[Virus_Of_Life]

I don't know that it was ever a mixture. It started out as the Medley, made in Owensboro, then switched to the COK when the Medley ran out. The COK was made at old Bernheim in 1987.

I've had it in my head that the Medley was mixed with the COK, but I cannot find evidence to that and can't recall where I heard it now. I'll keep searching.

Ah ha! Here this thread http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11744&highlight=tanked Thanks to Timothy of course for cataloging all this info!

Originally from this thread:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2627&page=2&highlight=marriage

"Yep-that sounds correct. S/W never distilled any rye for me or anybody. The present rye in the F & G bottles is a marriage of two different rye distillations. We hope to continue bottling the presently tanked rye for another 11 years, unless it starts going south in the tank.

We hope to start bottling BT rye in about 11 years.

Julian"

[jinenjo]

Let's hope somebody has some rye in the pipeline shooting for a 10+ year old expression sometime soon. I hope, I hope, I hope.

The optimist in me does say that something rye-ey is coming soon...

We hope to start bottling BT rye in about 11 years.

Julian"

According to my math, that means 2017. Not soon enough in my book. You'd think there's something out there. I still don't get it, that Sam's had a 10 yr of Saz Jr. and yet there's no more such bottlings (commercial or private) out there to meet our demands.

I'm wondering if all or most of the 10+ y.o. rye is being held for utra-premium bottles, like 20+ year olds.