Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old 2018 Bottling

A legendary bottle of bourbon now produced by the Buffalo Trace distillery. Each year Julian Van Winkle hand selects barrels from Buffalo Trace's wheated mashbill to be used for his Van Winkle line. A name steeped in heritage, the Van Winkles are responsible for the Stitzel-Weller distillery, a now mythical bourbon distillery. Julian utilised the remaining stocks from the SW distillery in his Van Winkle series for many years, but as the barrels have dried up now contracts Buffalo Trace for their product. This edition is the 10 year old Old Rip Van Winkle, bottled at the higher proof of 107, a number favoured by the original Pappy Van Winkle himself.

Buffalo Trace

Arguably the most in demand American whiskey in the world, Buffalo Trace is a distillery located just outside of Frankfort, Kentucky. A location rich in bourbon history, distillation has taken place on the premises since 1775 with a proper distillery built in 1820. It was given its first name in 1870 when Colonel Edmond Taylor purchased the property and christened it the Old Fire Copper Distillery. It was then purchased by George T Stagg in 1878 before being renamed the George T Stagg distillery in 1904. It was one of the only companies provided with a license to make bourbon for medicinal purposes throughout prohibition. This allowed Buffalo Trace to continue production and thrive post prohibition where many of its competitors had been forced to close. In 1929 Schenley purchased the distillery and heavily modernised it, improving everything from heating to warehousing space, before being sold in 1992 to the Sazerac company. The name Buffalo Trace was given to the distillery in 1999 and it has remained ever since.

It’s almost impossible to discuss Buffalo Trace without mentioning the infamous Pappy Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) bottlings. The Pappy line is a hand selected series released each year by Julian Van Winkle the third, the grandson of the original Pappy Van Winkle, as well as his son Preston Van Winkle. They choose barrels from the Buffalo Trace warehouses that used their wheated mashbill, a type of bourbon that swaps the traditional rye grain in the mash bill for a softer wheat option. These bottlings have become world famous with collectors and drinkers alike heralding the Van Winkle bottles as some of the world’s best bourbon. The BTAC bottlings on the other hand are a yearly release selected by Buffalo Trace themselves. These include the Sazerac 18 rye, George T Stagg 15 year old bourbon, William Larue Weller 12 year old wheated bourbon, Thomas H Handy 6 year old rye and the Eagle Rare 17 year old bourbon. Each yearly release is hotly anticipated and continues to win awards at international spirits competitions, often being heralded as the pinnacle of bourbon distillation.