The annual release of all six Van Winkle whiskey expressions was just announced by Buffalo Trace, and there’s some good news: there are more bottles available than usual.
We’ve gone over the difficulty of obtaining any of the Van Winkle bottles before: There are only a few thousand cases produced per year, and every state is only allocated a few bottles. Waiting lists at some stores can run up to 10 years, although some of them offer raffles or auction their bottles for charity. And how Buffalo Trace allocates bottles to retailers and bars is shrouded in secrecy, but it’s rumored to be based on the outlet’s success at selling other Sazerac products throughout the year.
But this year, whiskey fans may catch a break. There are more bottles this year because the distillery not only put away more whiskey to age over 10 years ago, but they got a higher yield than usual when moving from the barrel to the bottle. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Van Winkles and Buffalo Trace working together to produce, age and bottle the whiskey releases.
The six releases this year with the suggested MSRP:
- Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10-Year-Old (107 proof, $69.99)
- Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12-Year-Old (90.4 proof, $79.99)
- Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13-Year-Old (95.6 proof, $119.99)
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 15-Year-Old (107 proof, $119.99)
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 20-Year-Old (90.4 proof, $199.99)
- Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 23-Year-Old (95.6 proof, $299.99)
Please note that you will never, ever find those bottles at those modest prices. “Although we would prefer for retailers to charge our suggested retail pricing, unfortunately, we cannot legally force them to do so,” says Julian Van Winkle III, president of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. “The best chance to find our products at a fair price is through lotteries offered by many retailers, where fans have a chance to buy our bourbon at MSRP. Many of these lotteries benefit charities, so it’s a win-win for everyone.”
The Van Winkle whiskey releases will be available starting this month…if you can find them.
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