Happy Weekend!
Congrats to Brandon Rosen who won the bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year in August. Visit pursuitofpappy.com to watch the video.
On September 30th, we'll give away a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 Year Bourbon. All Premium Members who joined in or before August can use this coupon code for 15 FREE entries:
Coupon Code: p20s20p
Go here to use coupon
1. Place 15 entries
2. Click Add to Cart (If you update cart make sure you add and apply coupon after updating)
3. Add and Apply Coupon Code on Next Screen
4. Submit Order
(If you joined during a special promo you'll also get the other entries you qualified for by Friday, September 18.)
As a reminder the first month you join your entries are automatically entered. After that you need to use the coupon codes to get your extra chances. Directions will be included in the email you get with the code.
Also, if you want to increase your odds you can also purchase
2-for-1 Member Tickets
Other Pappy Giveaways:
Win a Bottle of Pappy 15 Year - Cool Material Giveaway
Boozy Houston scavenger hunt boasts a bottle of ultra-rare Pappy Van Winkle
Presentation Academy Inc. - The 25th Anniversary of the Tower Awards for Women Leaders - Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 23 Year Giveaway
Pappy Stories:
Mrs. Van Winkle’s Lucky Stallion and Other Bourbon-Bred Horses That Made Derby History
“My grandmother loved to get up early in the morning and go out and cut flowers; she also liked to find four-leaf clovers,” says Sally Van Winkle Campbell, a Kentucky-based author and granddaughter of Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr.
According to Campbell, on Derby weekend in 1938, Kansas City businessman Herbert M. Woolf rented a house across the street from the Van Winkle family. His horse Lawrin was running in that year’s race. On the morning of Derby Day, Campbell says, her grandmother Katherine Van Winkle was picking flowers in the garden when she came across a four-leaf clover.
“She had her driver take the clover across the street on a silver tray, along with a lace doily, a couple of Mint Juleps in silver cups, and a note that said, ‘Put this under your horse’s saddle this afternoon and you’ll win the Derby,’” Campbell says.
Given that Lawrin was an 8-to-1 outside shot, and jockey Eddie Arcaro had never won the Derby before, Woolf needed all the luck he could get. So he did as Van Winkle said, and placed the four-leaf clover under the horse’s saddle before the race.
“Sure enough, Lawrin came home to win,” Campbell says. “The next day, Herbert Woolf walked across the street and gave the winner’s horseshoe of red roses to my grandmother — or, as he called her, ‘Mrs. Pappy Van Winkle.’”
Bourbon Stories:
These Are The Good Old Days Of Whiskey
I woke up recently with the lyrics to “Anticipation” running through my head.
We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway.
And I wonder if I’m really with you now
Or just chasin’ after some finer day.
And then I thought about an old friend…Elijah Craig. I’ve known Elijah since he was 12 years old. We were good friends back in those days, went everywhere together. For a time, he was my best friend, and I introduced him to a lot of other folks, and he made friends wherever he went. He was our guy!
But I grew, and made more friends, like Elmer, and Booker, the Russell boys, and I went to George Brown’s birthday party, and had cigars with Pappy Van Winkle. I saw Elijah less often, and when I was with him, well…I was wondering about my real thoughts, like Carly. Was I even with Elijah, or was I really just thinking about chasin’ after some finer bottle?
Bourbon News:
A Bottle Hunter’s Guide to Fall’s Best Limited-Release American Whiskies
Autumn is almost upon us, and the season brings with it more than fall colors, Halloween, and cooler temperatures. For American whiskey fans, fall is the prime bottle-hunting season of the year, when most of the hottest names in American whiskey hit store shelves — only to disappear almost instantly. Enthusiasts call in favors, camp in liquor store parking lots, and sometimes drive hundreds of miles chasing tips, all to secure these scarce whiskies, which are then breathlessly posted to whiskey forums and Facebook groups.
It’s more than just the whiskey diehards who chase these bottles, though. Pappy Van Winkle is a famous name, but the others are becoming known beyond the aficionados. And many casual drinkers enroll in raffles and lotteries just to see if they get lucky. Moreover, scoring one of these ardently sought-after bottles is often a matter not of choice, but of taking what is available (and affordable). Getting lucky at the liquor store means a buyer could very well go home with something they aren’t all that familiar with. Pappy Van Winkle is part of the season, with an October release, but there’s plenty more to explore. Going beyond Pappy, here’s the lowdown on everything else in America’s autumnal whiskey crop, with context for why people want those bottles so badly.
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Release 2020
Just in time for the fall, Buffalo Trace Distillery is releasing its 2020 Antique Collection of whiskeys (BTAC). The highly regarded collection will once again feature five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs.
King of Kentucky is back. Here’s why you can’t find this elusive bourbon.
King of Kentucky, Brown-Forman’s ultra premium special release, is back. The 2020 version, the third edition of the revived brand, will hit shelves in September.
But good luck finding what has become one of the hottest bottles in bourbon: There will be only about 1,900 available, with a “suggested” retail price of about $250.
Latest Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Released As A 14 Year Old
Heaven Hill has, for a good amount of time now, been releasing a few times a year new bottlings of its Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond bourbon in a nice, retro style decanter. We are now on to the fall 2020 version of it, with what’s most notable about this offering being the age of it.
The new Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Fall 2020), according to those behind it, is a 14 year old American whiskey that’s comprised of barrels produced in the fall of 2005 and bottled this fall. It is the sixth such release in this series, and also marks the first time a 14 year old has been chosen for this nationally released bourbon.
Bottled in an ornate decanter, the brand noted, “the fall edition denotes a black label, consistent across all fall releases. As was the case for the past editions, this edition’s tax strip, which has always been a signature of transparency on bottled-in-bond products, will disclose when the liquid was produced and bottled.”
As it stands now plans call for this allocated release, bottled at 100 proof, to be available this month for around $140 per 750 ml bottle. As a side note a previous 14-year-old edition was released as a visitors center and Kentucky allocated product, denoted with a red label. The fall 2020 edition, meanwhile is going national, as mentioned above, and features bourbon pulled from different rick houses, at different floors, and on different production dates than the red label release.
Basil Hayden's® Annual 10 Year Bourbon Returns
Basil Hayden's®, one of the fastest growing super-premium bourbons on the market, is once again sharing with its fans Basil Hayden's® 10 Year Bourbon. Originally launched in December 2018, Basil Hayden's 10 Year Bourbon is returning to shelves in limited quantities.
Best enjoyed neat, with a drop of water, or on the rocks, Basil Hayden's 10 Year Bourbon features the following characteristics:
- Proof: 80
- Color: Golden Amber
- Aroma: Big oak, hints of char, vanilla and rye
- Taste: Oak balanced by caramel sweetness and rye spice
- Finish: Lightly smoky with a hint of char
This bourbon is now available nationwide in limited quantities with a suggested retail price of $69.99 for a 750mL bottle.
We Asked 10 Bartenders: What Seasonal Bourbon Releases Are You Most Excited About for 2020?
In late summer and early fall, distilleries often release limited-edition bourbons. Some are designed to accompany the upcoming onslaught of spiced holiday specialties, while others are unique blends of whiskies from different years. Bourbon lovers look forward to these releases every year as the days grow shorter and temperatures start to drop.
To help celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month, VinePair reached out to bartenders around the country to get their takes on which seasonal bourbon releases should make every bourbon aficionado’s wishlist. Keep reading to find out which bottles experts are currently pining for.
Enjoy the Chase,
Chris