by Mike » Mon Nov 25, 2013 4:58 pm
I have not bought, or even seen on the shelves at liquor stores, any Van Winkle bourbons in at least a couple of years. I still have a smidge of Pappy 20 YO, and half full or more bottles of the 15 YO Pappy, the Lot B 12 YO, and the Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye. All these bourbons (and the rye) are exceptional to my palate and, in my opinion, they taste a bit different from any other bourbons.......... the Wellers are all good, but lack something as compared to the Van Winkles.
Still, whether the Van Winkle bourbons are worth the asking price is a matter for you to decide. Bear in mind that the difference between bourbons that cost say, $30, and the Van Winkle bourbons is as much a matter of taste as it is of quality. As I write, I am comparing Pappy 15 YO, for which I think I paid about $80 a few years ago, and Noah's Mill, for which I paid under $50, also a few years ago.
I have always found favor with Noah's Mill. The one I have is a 15 YO (all the bourbon in this bottle is at least 15 years old) at 114.30 proof. I understand that new bottles of Noah's Mill have NSA (No Age Statement) but contain bourbons between 4 years and 20 years of age (and both wheat and rye grain recipe bourbons are used in the admixture) purchased from several sources.
The taste of these two, adjusted to about the same proof, is remarkably similar (to my palate). Both are dry, as opposed to sweet, and have more than a mite of tannins, which provokes some bitterness in the taste. The Pappy 15 is just slightly sweeter, and slightly better.
The Noah's, although I have not tried the newer releases of this bourbon, might be a good one to try before spending a bundle on Pappy 15, because it is not so expensive and has many qualities similar to those of Pappy 15.
I am a big fan of Van Winkle bourbons, but at the prices I have seen thrown about lately, when I finish what I have, I will buy no more.
Last edited by
Mike on Mon Nov 25, 2013 5:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas