Pappy Van Winkle Gets Older, Releases 25 Year Old Expression
Pappy Van Winkle Gets Older, Releases 25 Year Old Expression
Almost three years ago to the day, we were reporting on a Van Winkle 28 year old blend lurking in the cellars of Sazerac. Sadly, this expression was never to see a full release, leaving us no choice but to remain content with thousands of articles about the 23 and 20 year old varieties and nationwide frenzy of lotteries and raffles in an effort to obtain the precious gold.
Fast forward to yesterday, when the announcement broke regarding a 25 year old Pappy coming out of the woodwork. From the press release:
Each decanter is packaged in a handmade wooden box crafted in North Carolina by James Broyhill II of Heritage Handcrafted. The lid is constructed using the oak staves from the 11 barrels that held this bourbon. The outside of the box bears a metal plaque with the Old Rip Van Winkle logo and states “asleep 25 years in the wood.”
This batch came from 11 barrels, resulting in 710 bottles overall. Buffalo Trace has put a suggested retail pricing of $1,800 per 750ml bottle, a well-intentioned recommendation which will no doubt be adhered to by non profit-minded shopkeepers lucky enough to get their anti-capitalist hands on one. It’s looking like the new Pappy has a shipping date of April, so start camping out at your local store now before it’s too late!
Pappy mania continues unabated! Everything I’ve read on this release says it’s “Pappy Van Winkle,” when nowhere on the packaging is Pappy even mentioned.
Yes, it’s from S-W, perhaps the very last, but it’s a new iteration of Old Rip Van Winkle, not Pappy. Nitpicking? Yes, but let’s not continue to feed the “Pappy” fires unnecessarily. Personally, I’ve about had it with that.