Happy Friday!
Pappy Van Winkle's 23 Year Giveaway is July 31 at 9pm EST on our Facebook Page. In the meantime, check out these pages if you're looking for some Pappy.
- Pappy (and other Rare) Bourbon Events (Includes tasting events categorized by state.)
- Raffles, Auctions, Lotteries, and Contests, Etc. (Overviews all these sources for finding Pappy and other rare Bourbons by state.)
- Pappy Opportunities or Private Listings ( A list of available bottles by private collectors who are willing to offer their excess inventory to others.)
And if you want a better chance to win Pappy 23, buy some 2-for-1 Members-Only Tickets!
Members 2-for-1 Entries
4 Shots:
The Art of Bourbon
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Speed Art Museum
2035 S. Third St.
Louisville, KY 40208
Below is a small sample of some of the auction lots that will be featured at The Art of Bourbon. Check back weekly for updates on more incredible bottles and experiences!
Once in a Lifetime! Maker’s Mark Barrel Selection and Experience
Rob Samuels invites the winner of this item to join him at Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY, where you won't simply select a barrel. Instead, you will create your own special Maker's Mark taste vision. You will use the same process as Bill Samuels Jr. when he created Maker's 46, with Bill alongside you for this most unique experience.
That's not all! Celebrate your selection with lunch at Star Hill Provisions, created especially for you by nationally renowned Maker's Mark chef and Bravo Top Chef, Newman Miller. To bring this experience to the next level, the winner will add a piece of the iconic Dale Chihuly's artwork to their collection, selected from the distillery’s private possession. This entire opportunity has never been offered before, bringing art and bourbon together in a way that only Maker's Mark can.
Seven Bottles of Pappy Van Winkle
Pappy Van Winkle needs no introduction to the bourbon connoisseur. The Art of Bourbon will feature 7 bottles of the coveted Pappy on the auction block. One lot includes 4 bottles: a 10YO, 12YO, 15YO and 20YO.
The second lot offers 3 single bottles signed by bourbon royalty, Julian Van Winkle himself. These bottles include:
- Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15 year-107 proof
- Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 20 year-90.4 proof
- Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 year-96.5 proof.
Barrell Bourbon Award Winners
Like award winning bourbon? Our friends at Barrell Bourbon have provided us with exactly that! Check out these winners:
- Barrell Bourbon Batch 019 Won Double Gold at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
- Barrell Bourbon Batch 018 Named BEST SMALL BATCH BOURBON 11 Years and Older, and won Double Gold at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
- Barrell Bourbon Batch 017 Won Double Gold at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
- Barrell Bourbon Batch 016 Won Gold at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
- Barrell Dovetail Won Gold at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The Angel’s Share
Angel's Envy certainly believes in the concept of "The Angel's Share"! The Art of Bourbon will have one lot consisting of 1 bottle of each 2013-18 Cask. You can instantly start a collection here.
A second lot will feature 1 bottle of the Angels Envy grand opening release. This bottle is the first port barrel ever filled in 2010. This 100 proof port was privately released for the distillery in 2016 and was never available to the public.
Florence Christian Church raffling off Pappy Van Winkle whiskeys to expand Shower Ministry facilities
Harold walks more than 60 miles a week from the barn where he sleeps to the Mission in downtown Florence to get his daily meal. Some days he stops by Florence Christian Church to get a shower, a snack, a drink of water and a friendly welcome. He collects discarded aluminum to recycle or picks up other odd jobs before he walks back to his “home.” In the hot summer or the cold winter, the opportunity to “freshen-up” in a clean shower facility provides Harold a moment of dignity in his otherwise demanding work of survival.
Purchase raffle tickets for the “Pappy For Dignity” campaign to expand accessibility to free showers and laundry facilities in Boone County.
Currently, Florence Christian has one shower and welcomes about 30 guests per week.
Raffle proceeds will fund renovations to include 2 more showers and laundry facilities. Participants in this raffle can genuinely make a difference in the lives of the growing, vulnerable and housing-insecure population in Boone County.
Only 500 raffle tickets will be sold. A raffle entry entitles the participant a chance to win the entire collection of six signed bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle whiskeys and rye.
Raffle Drawing: Sun., Sept. 8, Noon at Florence Christian Church Activity Center, 300 Main Street, Florence KY 41042 and broadcast on Facebook.com/FlorenceChristianChurch
Florence Christian Church has received a generous donation of all six varieties of the 2018 release of Van Winkle whiskeys from Party Town in Florence. This rare collector’s set has been signed by Julian P. Van Winkle III, President and grandson to Pappy Van Winkle, and his son, Preston Van Winkle.
The entire set of six (6) bottles includes signed bottles of Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year, Pappy Van Winkle 20 year, Pappy Van Winkle 15 year, Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 year, Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 year, and Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year. All the bottles will be awarded to one winner drawn at noon on September 8. Raffle tickets are $100 each and can be purchased here. Only 500 raffle tickets will be sold. Raffle tickets are only available online. Arrangements for delivering the bottles will be made with the winner, with the preference being the winner pick the collection up at the church.
Florence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) celebrates God’s welcome table of abundant love, grace, and acceptance. The congregation welcomes radically, serves boldly and forms faith every day. It is located at the corner of US 42 and Dixie Highway in the heart of downtown Florence. Worship is at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. every Sunday morning. Learn more at the website or on Facebook.
Bourbon Roundup: New brand, new Parker’s, new Yellowstone and new chance to score Peerless Bourbon
It’s never too early to start talking about fall bourbon releases, but it seems the crop mentioned here is aiming to get out just ahead of the season.
Here’s a look at a few new whiskeys coming to a shelf near you, and some bourbon news …
Louisville native releases new bourbon brand Down Home; first tasting is July 31
Louisville native Robert Heath is taking a gamble by starting his own bourbon brand, but it’s a project he believes in whole-heartedly. A sales representative for 84 Lumber and father of (almost) four — one is on the way — Heath set aside some funds to start Down Home, which he hopes will have several releases a year.
The first release — which can be sampled and purchased at Westport Whiskey & Wine on Wednesday, July 31 — includes two bottles: a 12-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Single Barrel at 129 proof, and a five-and-a-half-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Small Batch that will be around 118-120 proof.
The former will retail for around $140, while the latter will be $60-$70.
Heath, along with a silent partner, secured the barrels from two Kentucky distilleries, which he is choosing not to name. He bought one barrel of the 12-year bourbon and eight barrels of the other, all of which were selected because they showcased the flavors he enjoys the most in bourbon — a little bit of spice and a lot of smooth, creamy caramel.
For this first release, he should have about 132 bottles of the 12-year and 1,700-1,800 of the five-and-a-half-year to sell around town through the proper distribution channels, of course. And for future releases, Heath says he’d like to come out with a straight rye whiskey and even experiment with toasted barrels.
A lover of bourbon since his college days at the University of Kentucky, Heath had purchased the barrels before he even had a name for the brand in mind.
Several buddies offered suggestions, but he went with a moniker that meant something to him and his family. Many of Heath’s relatives reside in the Paducah/Grand Rivers/Calvert City area of western Kentucky, which he lovingly refers to as “down home.” In fact, the historic log cabin on the bottle’s label is similar to one his grandmother lived in.
The Down Home Bourbon Launch Party on Wednesday runs from 6:30-8 p.m. Admission is $10 and includes two tastings. Westport Whiskey & Wine is located at Westport Village, 1115 Herr Lane.
2019 Parker’s Heritage release will be a ‘Heavy Char Rye Whiskey’
Each year, Heaven Hill comes out with a limited-edition Parker’s Heritage Collection, which differs with each release. The series pays tribute to Parker Beam, the former Heaven Hill master distiller who died in 2017 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Funds raised by the last six releases have amassed more than $1 million toward ALS research and patient care.
The 2019 Parker’s is called “Heavy Char Rye Whiskey,” and according to a news release, it takes Heaven Hill’s traditional rye whiskey mash bill and ages it in level 5 charred barrels (the company’s standard char is a 3) for eight years and nine months on the seventh floor of Rickhouse Y. Got all that?
For those interested in the nerdy stuff, level 5 charred barrels are charred 50 seconds longer than the level 3 barrels — in turn burning deeper into the barrel’s staves so the whiskey can extract more flavor.
“As the second-largest holder of aging American whiskey, Heaven Hill Distillery has the privilege of showcasing the quality and range of our distilling craft through the Parker’s Heritage Collection,” said Susan Wahl, group product director at Heaven Hill, in the release. “We continue this series with thoughtful offerings that showcase the care and attention to detail for which Heaven Hill Distillery is known.”
The release, which makes No. 13 in the series, will be bottled at 105 proof and non-chill filtered, with a suggested retail price of $149.99. Expect to not see it on store shelves beginning in September.
Yellowstone’s 2019 Limited Edition Bourbon release will feature older barrels
Good things are seeping out of Limestone Branch, the Lebanon, Ky., distillery run by brothers Steve and Paul Beams — yes, both have ties to thatBeam family, and also the Dant family — including the 2019 release of Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Each year, the guys dig deep into their inventory for a unique pick in the Limited Edition series, and this one features a blend of nine-year-old and 12-year-old barrels.
“The barrels I chose were in different parts of the rick house, and each barrel’s unique location contributed to the taste profile and complexity of this bourbon,” said Steve Beam, head distiller, in a news release. “When combined, these extra-aged bourbons create a mature and complex bourbon with robust spice and oaky undertones.”
We expect the mingling of the mature barrels leads to deeper, richer flavors in the bourbon, and the release states that there are notes of toffee, dried fruit and a hint of citrus, followed by a dry finish of brown sugar and oak.
The bourbon will be bottled at 101 proof with a suggested retail price of $99.99. About 12,500 bottles will be released starting in August.
Kentucky Peerless announces Round 2 of its bourbon release
In June, Louisville’s Kentucky Peerless Distillery came out with its first bourbon in 102 years. As a surprise to no one, it sold out in the span of a few hours.
Now, they’re hosting Round 2 of the Great Bourbon Release on Saturday, Aug. 3, starting at 9 a.m.
“First off, I want to say thank you for the overwhelming support regarding our most recent release,” said Peerless CEO and fourth-generation founder Corky Taylor in a letter to his subscribers. “We are elated at the response received from the bourbon release on June 22 and can’t wait to share yet another special day in history for our family.”
The event will feature complimentary tastings of both Peerless Rye and Bourbon every half hour from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The gift shop will close at 5 p.m.
“Driving up to Peerless and seeing a line of people who stood in the rain, waiting for our bourbon, was nothing short of breathtaking,” added Master Distiller Caleb Kilburn in the letter. “The reception was beyond anything that I could have imagined as inventory that was supposed to last better than a week disappeared in a matter of hours. … That reception drives us to continually strive to produce the best product possible and uphold the Peerless name.”
About 500 bottles will be available at the Aug. 3 release — one per person — and retail for $79. Peerless is located at 120 N. 10th St.
Does this bar have one of the world’s largest bourbon collections? See for yourself.
How much bourbon is too much bourbon? The answer is “never enough” at one Lexington bar, which has amassed a staggering collection of 916 bourbons (and counting.)
This labyrinth of liquor at Bluegrass Tavern, an unassuming bourbon bar nestled on Cheapside Park, is one of the largest bourbon collections in the country.
Opened by local serial bar owner Larry Redmon in 2007, Bluegrass Tavern is currently under the guidance of Sean Ebbitt. Born in California, Ebbitt worked in bars owned by his father growing up. They moved to Lexington when he was 10 and he later worked at O’Neill’s in Lexington. After graduating from Eastern Kentucky University in 2009 with a degree in psychology, Ebbitt moved to New York City where he worked JPMorgan Chase and then Nielsen before relocating to London and Oxford, England, to manage Nielsen’s liquor division, providing analytics for industry giants such as Heineken.TOP ARTICLES Covington Catholic student’s lawsuit against TheWashington Post has been dismissed
The work, although well-compensating, became grueling, with awkward and demanding hours. In late 2017, Ebbitt decided to begin a career working for himself; he moved back to Lexington, striking a deal with Redmon to buy on the bar in March 2018.
-Cheers, Chris
The Glencairn Tasting Glass is the vessel of choice for those who truly enjoy bourbon. Glencairn Crystal spent decades crafting a glass that was similar to the copita used by master blenders, but would be a practical fit for bar use. A tapered mouth for ease of tasting, while still capturing the nose of the whiskey. A widened bowl for full enjoyment and a solid base to fit neatly in the hand.