Pappy Van Winkle
Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Lot “B”
There are few names more immersed in the world of whiskey than Pappy Van Winkle. Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle started in the whiskey business as a salesman for W.L. Weller and Sons in 1893. Eventually, he and an associate bought the Stitzel Distillery for Weller. The distillery was renamed Stitzel-Weller and Van Winkle remained a devoted employee of the bourbon distillery until his death in 1965. The Van Winkle family never got out of the whiskey business and his grandson is currently in charge of the Van Winkle Brand of whiskies.
On the bottle (usually below the back label) there is a code that will tell you when and where your Bourbon was bottled, down to the minute and the bottling line in which it was filled. While this probably isn’t of interest on most bottles, it’s of particular note here because you can determine whether your bottle is from the old Stitzel-Weller Distillery, or was bottled more recently in the Buffalo Trace location. Of course, the older bottling is more valuable and sought after, only contributing to the mystique of this hard to come by brand.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Honey, honeysuckle, orange zest, citrus and a hint of cherry.
Body: Very rich and smooth, almost creamy, buttery. A hint of smoke but not a lot.
Finish: Complex body turns into a complex finish: white chocolate, smoke and tree bark; warmth but with very little burn.
-- Kerry Ichimasa, Assistant Wine Director