Happy Friday!
Congrats to the winner of the Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year. It went for a winning bid of $1100.
I have a Pappy Collector that has a fresh supply of Stitzel-Weller Pappy Van Winkle 23, 20 and 15 Year. If you’re not familiar with why this is generally regarded as the best Pappy around here are a couple of links to check out:
Preston Van Winkle: Everything in Pappy 20 and 23 is Stitzel-Weller
The short version is this is the Pappy that was distilled at the Stitzel-Weller distillery before it closed and Pappy moved over to Buffalo Trace in 1992.
So if you want to get a bottle of SW Pappy you have to get a 23 that is 2014 or older, a 20 that is 2012 or older and a 15 that is 2009 or older.
This is what Preston Van Winkle (Pappy’s great-grandson) told Blake at Bourbonr.com in 2015.
“It’s not as cut and dry as that as there are some Bernheim barrels in there as well. On top of that there was a year in the early 90s before S-W shut down for good that their still was down and coincidentally BT did some contract production for them. The below [chart above] is fairly accurate as to when the last possible bottling of 100% SW was done with the exception of the 23. I believe what we have bottled this year for the 2015 allocation is at the very least mostly SW as the the spring of ’92 was the last distilling season at SW.”
The bottom line is these are the most sought-after bottles of Pappy and buyers typically pay a premium to get them.
Stitzel-Weller Pappy Van Winkle
These are “buy now” prices so if you want one just shoot me an email and if it is still available you get it. ($50 for s/h per bottle. $25 s/h per extra bottle if you buy more than one.)
2008 Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 year (Stitzel-Weller) – $2699
2014 Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 year (Stitzel-Weller) – $2399
2009 Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 year (Stitzel-Weller) – $1899 – Sold
2011 Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 year (Stitzel-Weller) – $1799 – Sold
2012 Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 year (Stitzel-Weller) – $1799 – Sold
2009 Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 year (Stitzel-Weller) – $1699
Non-SW Pappy
Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year – $1599
Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year – $1299
Van Winkle Rye – 13 Year – $1199
Van Winkle 12 Year Lot B – $629
Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year – $529
Pappy Drawings
Don’t forget to let me know how you want to allocate your Pappy Lottery entries. (Basic Members get 100; Premium Members get 200). If I don’t hear from you, I’ll parcel them out evenly for the first four drawings:
August 25 – Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year
September 25 – Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year
October 25 – Van Winkle Rye – 13 Year
November 25 – Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year
This Week’s Four Shots
Good Bourbon You Can Afford (and Actually Find)
We’ve all heard of the great bourbons that exist somewhere, even if we’ve never seen or tasted them. Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg, Parker’s Heritage, and A.H. Hirsch Reserve are just a few. The problem is you’ll never see them on the shelves of your local liquor store. And if by some miracle you did actually find them, you probably wouldn’t want to pay the price tag.
But fear not! Despite everything you might have heard or read about bourbon shortages, strict allocations, and skyrocketing prices, there are still plenty of top-quality whiskeys that can be found without too much trouble and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
These aren’t bargain bourbons, per se. They’re reasonably priced, but aren’t the cheapest, and they generally come from a slightly higher spot on the quality scale.
Buffalo Trace Begins Bourbon Pompeii Tours At Its Distillery
A little over a year ago workers at the Buffalo Trace distillery were digging in the foundation of the O.F.C. Building, one of the many buildings on this historic whiskey campus in Kentucky. As they worked they unearthed the foundation—and much more—from the original O.F.C. Distillery built there in 1873. Distillery officials decided to preserve what was discovered, and now are ready to turn it into a tour for visitors.
Our Favorite New Bourbon is a Flavored Whiskey from Alabama. No, Really
Now that hundreds of new whiskey releases hit our desks every year, you’d probably be surprised to learn that one of the brands we get most excited about is Clyde May’s Alabama-Style Whiskey. But the new 9-Year-Old Cask Strength release is a new high on an upward trajectory for a brand you should keep an eye on, because if nothing else, it’s making flavored whiskey a quality product.
Chinese tourist pays $10,000 for glass of whisky
Switzerland is known for being expensive, but CHF9,999 ($10,310) for a glass of whisky? That is what a curious – and clearly very rich – Chinese tourist paid for a glass of Macallan 1878 at the Waldhaus am See Hotel in the exclusive ski resort of St Moritz.
Cheers and Enjoy the Chase!
-Chris