Van Winkle Special Reserve "Lot B"

Special Reserve " Lot B" is the 12 year old bourbon from the Van Winkle collection. These wheated bourbons boast a uniquely soft profile with rich, sweet flavors.

Details:
-90.4 proof 
-12 years old
-Price: $59

Nose: A giant bowl of fresh fruit, with spiced peaches and dried mango. There are delicate notes of sweet wheat, caramel and vanilla spice.

 Taste: Silky smooth with a robust, sweet wheat on the tip of the palate. Peach cobbler, burnt caramel, and black pepper spice mingle gracefully for a delightful flavor.  

Finish: A smooth, quick finish, with a sweet spice and subtle oak. 

Conclusion: An overall wonderful experience. It's a bottle that is frightfully easy to finish with a some friends and  good conversation. It's so smooth and the quick finish will keep you coming back for more. People have asked, "what is the most I would pay for such and such bottle"...and while it is an entirely subjective question, I would spend up to $100 on this one; it's that good!  

My Rating: A (Great)

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Bourbon Brothers:

 

Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon

Old Rip Van Winkle (ORVW) is a 10 year bourbon from the Van Winkle collection. These wheated bourbons boast a uniquely soft profile with rich, sweet flavors. Unfortunately, the hype with anything Van Winkle related seems to grow year after year (exacerbated by a ridiculous secondary market value), making it very difficult to get your hands on. Buffalo Trace has recently started to combat this inflation by releasing press statements educating consumers on how to spot fake bottles floating around the secondary market, but for now, it's a storm we will all have to wait out.  

Details:

-10 years old

-107 proof

-Price: $55

Nose: Waves of vanilla and brown sugar sit at the top of the glass. Notes of roasted pecans, sweet spice, and oak follow.

Taste: Chewy with robust sweet wheat sitting on the tip of the tongue. Further sips reveal marshmellow, graham cracker, cherries, and tobacco.

Finish: Mellow with sweet wheat, cherries, tobacco, and a peppery spice. 

Conclusion: ORVW is simply delicious. A perfect combination of age and proof, it has everything I want from a wheated bourbon. If you can snag this for close to MSRP, consider yourself lucky! It's great bourbon, but in no way is it worth paying a price of $200+. 

My Rating: A (Great)

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Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year

I enjoy bourbon; it’s great to drink, fun to talk about, and addicting to buy (hunt). It certainly makes for a great hobby, enhanced even more so when shared among good friends. It’s been a little over a year now that my brother in law (Jeff) and I created the Bourbon Brothers and began filming video reviews on our YouTube channel. In light of this, we wanted to drink something special and mark the occasion. We decided on Pappy 20 because it is one of the most asked about and hyped up whiskeys on our radar at the moment. Let’s see if this one lives up to the hype! 

Details:
20 years old
90.2 proof
Wheated mash bill

Color: Red wood

Nose: One could easily pick this nose out of a lineup. The bouquet is soft yet rich. Vanilla and cinnamon spice can't be contained in the glass. Caramel is right behind along with a healthy amount of toasted oak- simply delicious.

Taste: Sweeter than expected. The mouth feel leans towards the thin side, but it is exceptionally smooth. While oak is prevalent throughout, vanilla, toffee, and caramel popcorn grip the tip of the tongue. The mid palate transitions with swirls of cinnamon spice and an endless pit of aged tobacco.

 Finish: 20 years in the wood is no joke for a wheated bourbon. This has a medium finish with sweet-spice, dry tobacco, and bitter oak. 

Conclusion: Wheated bourbons have a much softer flavor profile than your typical high rye bourbon. After 20 years of aging, this soft, wheat profile is heavily influenced by the dry, astringent oak barrel. In efforts to reverse this effect, it's my belief the proof has been cut-significantly- to 90.2 proof (Pappy Van Winkle 15 year is 107 proof). While it's still very good bourbon, I would take proof over age any day.

My Rating: B+ (Very Good) 

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Bourbon Brothers Review:

Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year

Happy December Everyone! Today we have another hot ticket item for review- Pappy Van Winkle 15, Family Reserve bourbon. There are currently six different PVW whiskies (five bourbons and one rye). All PVW bourbons use wheat in the mash bill (instead of rye). The whiskey used to be produced at the Stizel-Weller Factory but is currently made at Buffalo Trace.  Julian Van Winkle III is the current company President, and his grandfather "Pappy" is the man smoking that nice looking cigar on the label. 

Details:
15 years old
107 proof
Wheated mash bill

Color: Deep Mahogany 

Nose: Vanilla ice cream and burnt sugars initially float out of the glass. Buttered popcorn, cocoa powder, and a slight nuttiness follow suit. A healthy dose of toasted oak, along with a slight pepper spice, combine for what I can only imagine will be a unique and well-rounded bourbon. 

Taste: At 107 proof, PVW 15 boasts a rich, chewy mouthfeel. Caramel popcorn, toffee, and  marshmallow blend elegantly on the tip of the tongue. On the mid palate, there is graham cracker, cloves, black pepper, and freshly rolled tobacco. 

 Finish: A medium, full-bodied, yet mellow finish. Sweet spice and heavy, dry tobacco linger. 

Conclusion: This bourbon makes me want to sit by a campfire and light up a cigar with great friends. The sweet tobacco finish is the highlight of this bourbon as it makes you want to come back for another glass. At MSRP, it's surely worth penny- if you can find it! 

My Rating: A (Great)