Van Winkle Family Reserve 20 year old

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Van Winkle Family Reserve 20 year old

Unread postby Phil M » Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:16 am

I am a big fan of all the Van Winkle iterations, and especially the 15-year-old, 107 proof. After long anticipation I picked up a bottle of the 20 year-old through a reputable internet dealer. I have been very disappointed at how bitter it is. It is so bitter in fact that I wonder if it could have been affected by overheating, etc. Have any of you had a similar experience?
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Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:14 pm

Never had a problem with Pappy 20. Excellent stuff. You must have a flawed bottle.
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Unread postby doubleblank » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:04 am

As you probably know, as whiskey ages, it picks up additional flavors from the wood. The bitterness you note may be just that. While I don't personally find Pappy 20 "bitter", I do prefer the 15yo as I find the 20yo has too much wood influence to my taste. You may be coming to the same conclusion, only your "taster" detects bitterness.

Randy
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Unread postby Mike » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:01 pm

Pappy 20 has long been a favorite of mine, I do not mind the dry woodiness so long as it is not overpowering. I have purchased a number of bottles of the 20 over the last number of years and did find one to be a bit bitter and too woody. Most of it still sits on the shelf, replaced by another bottle that is just fine.
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Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:26 am

If you don't like bitter, then you should avoid the extremely old bourbons. The bitterness is from the wood and taste to me like a pecan shell - dry and bitter. I prefer the Pappy 15yo over the 20yo and the 23yo.
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Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:27 pm

Different strokes for different folks. I love Pappy 20, wood and all.
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Unread postby Phil M » Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:37 am

It may be that my experience with the 20 yr old was influenced by the 10 and 15 year old bottlings which were not at all bitter. In other words, perhaps my expectations influenced what I was tasting. I have had other bourbons with some age on them and noticed the wood, but not the bitterness. I will probably wait a while and give another bottle a chance to see if I just caught an off-bottling.
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Unread postby Martian » Sat Aug 04, 2007 1:30 pm

I had a similar experience with Makers Mark. At a recent wedding I had a choice of Johnnie Walker Black or MM. I tried the MM on the rocks. It was so bitter that I winced.
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Unread postby angelshare » Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:24 pm

Tina has always maintained that the peak of the Van Winkle line is the 10 year/107. She has consistently named it her favorite bourbon of all time ever since tasting it.
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Unread postby gillmang » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:47 pm

It's an excellent product, Dave, and the current issue (non-SW) is very good.

Gary
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