Pappby van winkle 23Sporting a character that is uniquely sweeter and surprisingly heavier than other types of whiskies, the Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon is nothing less than a celebration of the age-old tradition of distilling savoir-faire. Winner of a double Gold Medal in the 2008 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco and a Chairman’s Trophy finalist in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge gaining an Ultimate Recommendation as an Extraordinary spirit in 2012, the Pappy Van Winkle 23 is simply one of the world’s finest bourbons.

 

The Pappy Van Winkle 23 has its humble origins in the backyards of pre-Prohibition era Kentucky. With the painstaking efforts of its founder, Julian ‘Pappy’ Van Winkle, Sr. who started out as a salesman for W. L. Weller & Sons liquor wholesaler, which is equivalent to your modern-day liquor delivery salesman, the brand ‘Old Rip Van Winkle’ had survived the turmoil that followed the bourbon industry during the Prohibition era. It was only in 1972 when Pappy Jr. resurrected the pre-Prohibition brand ‘Old Rip Van Winkle’ by using the stocks of whiskies from their distillery.

 

By 2002, the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery entered into a joint venture with Buffalo Trace Distillery where the Sazerac Company began distilling and bottling the famed spirits of pre-Prohibition era Old Rip Van Winkle. This spirit favored by celebrity chefs such as Anthony Bourdain and John Currence as well as David Chang has added to the belief that this spirit is nothing less than the world’s best and finest bourbons.

 Pappby van winkle 23

The Creation
The Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon has a distinct corny flavor highlighted by a remarkable amber color that is fully matured, albeit much longer than other bourbons, in charred white oak barrels.

 

The use of corn in the malting process gives the Pappy Van Winkle 23 its unmatched sweetness. This is further enhanced by the use of wheat as a major secondary ingredient in addition to barley malt. Whereas other bourbon makers will usually use rye, the Van Winkle’s preference for wheat to naturally enhance the sweetness of the corn mash. Rye, on the other hand, produces a much spicier feel to the bourbon, something the Old Rip Van Winkle perhaps disliked.

 

Normally, bourbons are aged for at least 10 years. The Pappy Van Winkle 23 had been slowly aged to perfection for 23 long years, giving it that rich quality texture that can only come from the world’s leading name in bourbon – the Van Winkles.

 

The Experience
Described by Chef Currence as the bourbon that sets itself apart, the Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon is undoubtedly the bourbon that every single bourbon aficionado wants but no one can get.

 

Experience the notes of caramel and cream with subtle hints of nuts, leather, and oak. Get your palates bursting with the flavors that can only be described as amazingly sweet with fruity overtones and the syrupy goodness of maple, honey, and vanilla. Complicate the sensations with notes of spice and citrus and you will be on your way to an oaky finish that will last long enough for you to appreciate the Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon as simply the best in the world.