Rare and selected Old Rip Van Winkle and Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey
Whiskey of Pappy Van Winkle or Old Rip Van Winkle is a legend are among the most sought after and most expensive whiskeys in the world. Pappy Van Winkle was in his lifetime as one of the most important men of the whiskey industry in Kentucky and led until his death in 1965 the Sitzel-Weller Distillery in Kentucky. This produced in his lifetime brands like Old Fitzgerald, W. L. Weller, Cabin Still and Rebel Yell. A small to Stitzel-Weller times rather insignificant brand was Old Rip Van Winkle, named after the short story by Washington Irving. Van Winkle s trademark was the mash which he, as usual, supplemented with wheat instead of rye, which gives the whiskey a very different and special flavor profile.
The brand was founded by Julian Van Winkle Jr.. This bought in 1972 together with his son and current managing Julian Van Winkle III still stored inventories that had made the long run by Julian Pappy Van Winkle Stitzel-Weller Distillery and sold it under the name Van Winkle. The breakthrough for Van Winkle came in 1996 as a Van Winkle whiskey was presented the prestigious Beverage Testing Institute. He received in their vote yet-never-before-seen 99 out of 100 points and the demand for Van Winkle Whiskey rose dramatically. Since the 1980s until 2002 Van Winkle worked as a typical whiskey blender who bought barrels of different distilleries, this mixed for a desired flavor profile and bottled under its own name. Since about 2000, the Sazerac Group subsidiary Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, production resumed, which produces the whiskey on behalf Van Winkles. After Pappy Van Winkle years a premium whiskey under several were a hype, the Pappy Van Winkle developed since around 2010 the most expensive and sought after Bourbon made. In Van Winkle distributes approximately 6,000 to 7,000 cases, compared to about 11 million cases, the Jack Daniel s was sold in 2012. The whiskey is delivered twice a year, the selected stores and dealers in the get, get about half a dozen bottles - these are then usually sold to regular customers, who long ago entered on a waiting list. Other stores hold a lottery, the Washington Post from a wholesaler of Missouri reported in which 1,400 customers have participated in the lottery, in the low two-digit number was distributed to bottles. Meanwhile ensures only the mismatch of supply and demand by gourmets, connoisseurs and collectors who want to have something special and rare, a Veblen good that has used, in which the rising prices boost demand yet. The taste of Van Winkle whiskey is mild and more accessible than most Bourbons by the wheat. Because Van Winkles manage up to 20 years and to store it longer, without being undrinkable, it nevertheless has an intense flavor with a special character and indisputably ranks with the world s finest Bourbon and Rye whiskeys. Since inventories at Stitzel-Weller whiskey were limited, the Van Winkles old selected whiskey from other distilleries and Buffalo Trace began to mix with the Stitzel-Weller. At least since 2013 (20 year old whiskey) and 2016 (23 years old Whiskey) can be retrieved from the barrels no Stitzel-Weller whiskey more because Stitzel-Weller ceased production 1992. However, the company announced to have transferred most of the barrels in steel containers several years ago, where the whiskey matures unable to continue and have for several years Whiskey inventories of Stitzel-Weller in stock.