VAN WINKLE - 12 years - Special Reserve - 45.20%
Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve is an iconic brand of exceptional American Bourbon produced by the company "Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery." Since 2002, this premium bourbon has been distilled and bottled by the Sazerac group at the famous Buffalo Trace Distillery, located in Frankfort, in the state of Kentucky, the birthplace of American whiskey.
The Van Winkle family history dates back to 1893, when Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr., then only 18 years old, began his career as a sales representative for the alcohol distributor W.L. Weller & Sons. After fifteen years of investment and passion, he and a partner bought the company. In 1910, they acquired the A. Ph. Stitzel distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, itself established since 1872 and known for its "Sour Mash" whiskeys. After the Prohibition period in the United States, the Van Winkle brand only returned to the market after 1972, eventually disappearing in 1991 before being reborn in its current, highly sought-after form.
The Van Winkle Bourbons stand out due to an original recipe based on corn, aged for a long time in new, toasted American oak barrels, ensuring remarkable aromatic complexity and unparalleled depth of flavor. One of their major strengths lies in the use of wheat as the secondary grain, where most bourbons prefer rye: this choice offers sweetness, roundness, and delicacy on the palate, supported by a touch of barley malt.
This rare edition of the Pappy Van Winkle 12 years, available in extremely limited quantity at Clos des Spiritueux, represents the quintessence of collectible bourbon for connoisseurs of exceptional spirits wishing to discover or enrich their collection of prestigious and rare whiskies.
