Ever wondered how and why Pappy Van Winkle’s bourbon earned its stellar reputation? Some say it all began when Julian Van Winkle III stumbled upon an old picture of his grandfather, Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, smoking a stogie in the mid 1990’s. He decided it would be the perfect label to affix upon the now […]
Okay. I am not finished with it yet, but so far Charles K. Cowdery’s book on the history of bourbon, titled “Bourbon, Straight” is, well…can I give it the best compliment ever — interesting. It’s like Bourbon 101 — and it makes bourbon that much better, especially if you like to engage your mind and palate in your
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Apparently, W. L. Weller distilled Kentucky Straight Bourbon with wheat before anyone else — including Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr. Van Winkle actually worked as a liquor salesman for W.L. Weller and Sons before he and a friend, Alex Farnsley, bought the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery, which made bourbon for Weller. On Derby Day in 1935, Stitzel-Weller opened its
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Walker Percy introduced me to Bourbon and Wright Thompson pointed me to Pappy. Percy’s literature is all about the search for something (God?). “What is the nature of the search? you ask. The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. To become aware
Why Pappy Van Winkle Hysteria is Good for Bourbon Read More »