Pappy Van Winkle For Sale

When it comes to bourbon, few names have the pull of Pappy Van Winkle. Drop the name in a group of whiskey drinkers and conversations about pricing, availability, and much more are bound to follow. Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve is the pinnacle of bourbon releases, an annual bottle that almost every bourbon drinker would be happy to obtain.

But getting a hold of Pappy is not easy by any means. While the bottles are recommended retail at between $70 and $300, they usually sell on the secondary market for much more. And with only a small amount of bottles released each year, that's driving up prices and making bourbon fans desperate for any bottle that might have the name Pappy on it.

Pappy hysteria started in the 1990s, but really took off after the rise of social media and the increased popularity of rare bourbon. Today, it's nearly impossible to find a new bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 23 Year for less than ten times its suggested retail price. The same goes for other Pappy Van Winkle expressions, especially the creme de la creme Stitzel-Weller versions.

While the hysteria around Pappy is not entirely Pappy van winkle for sale unreasonable, it has created some problems. For example, it's not uncommon for people to go to extreme lengths to get their hands on a bottle. This week, six Oregon state officials were accused of pulling strings to buy multiple bottles of the rare bourbon.

The hysteria also creates some misconceptions about the quality of the bourbon itself. Despite the high price tag, most of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve is actually quite good bourbon. The bourbon is aged for a long time, and the attention to detail by distillery employees ensures only the best barrels are used to make the final product.

One of the biggest issues with discerning the quality of Pappy Van Winkle is knowing which years contain 100% Stitzel-Weller barrels. While the Stitzel-Weller distillery closed in 1994, the Van Winkle family continued to release their own products using aging stock from the old distillery, and many of those stocks still contained some of the legendary wheated bourbon that the brand is known for.

This was the case for the 20 Year, which was bottled in 2012. That is the only year that the entire line of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve products stopped using Stitzel-Weller barrels.

The bourbon itself is smooth and flavorful with notes of maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. It has a light tan color and is very easy to drink neat or in a glencairn. The bourbon is fairly heavy on the alcohol, however, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. For those interested in trying a Pappy Van Winkle, I would recommend picking up the new 2019 release or one of the older releases before the Stitzel-Weller transition. While they may not be as good as the 23 Year, they will still be a great choice.