Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon (107 Proof)

I’ve been saving a few bottles for occasions specifically I had a big occasion to celebrate finishing my MBA ack in December so I opened this one and a BTAC GTS. Both acquired at Walmart back in 2020 at retail. Yes Walmart. Yes retail. So knowing I paid retail and not ridiculous secondary prices my expectations were set not based off of some hyped up bottle i overspent on but actually what’s inside of the bottle. So here goes. At first smell I get the usual Buffalo Trace/Weller smell. It’s so obvious compared to other brands in my opinion. They literally all smell the same to me. So if you like BT product you’ll like this one as it smells. I poured a fairly large pour for myself and my drinking buddy who we share everything with each other clinked glasses and gave her a taste. Initial thoughts were “hmmm this is Weller 107 but less harsh” not that W107 is harsh but this just tasted a bit more refined. After have a few more pours of this my friend and I realized we drank a quarter of the bottle unknowingly. It’s good shit. Is it $700-900 good absolutely not. I paid $80 and I’d maybe pay $100 but that’s my max. Sure maybe if I saw one for $200 I’d think about it only because I know I’d have a hard time finding another for that price but it’s not a $700-900 bottle sorry fan boys. Long post I apologize but this was good, very good but not worth the crazy secondary prices. 1/28/23

Been holding on to this bottle since 2017 when I HIT on the Idaho State Liquor Division lottery for $87. Way past time to enjoy this with friends. Tasted neat. Dark rosie brown color and good coating legs in the glass. Nose is vanilla, floral citrus, and honey, with a light dry grain scent. In the mouth, immediate sweet--brown sugar and maple syrup--then vanilla and tannic oak. There's some spicy grass and ethanol in there too. Mouthfeel is oily and rich, but turns dry in the finish. Finish is spicy and sweet/sour and dry. Leaves your mouth tingling in a long slow sweet fade. Easy to sip, soft but with a good ethanol and spice bite. Sweet...maybe too sweet... but that eases with a second glass. Ice cube rounds out that sweet--tannic--ethanol profile. So there's all the hype about Van Winkle, and the scarcity and secondary market price gouging. Ok. Then there's the wheated bourbon, which is really good, but... it's made difficult to judge and enjoy because of the hype. Tried the Van Winkle 12 year with a friend two weeks ago, but we were outside, talking, not tasting. I do think that one (in memory) was a better collection of its parts, but that doesn't diminish this 10yo. I'll keep trying and thinking about this (like I do every bottle) and get back to you as I change my mind.

Nose: Maple Syrup, Honey, Oak, Cninnamon, Blood Orange, Vanilla, Corn Sweetness. Palate: Caramel, Sweet Cereal Grain, Fig Newton, Lemon Confi, Pastry Bread, Brown Sugar, Raisin, Hints of a Bitter Oak Finish. I've been surprised twice now by the Buffalo Trace distillers, I think this whiskey does really live up to the hype. Old Rip presents the drinker with flavors you will rarely ever get in whiskey, especially in bourbon, and its all thanks to that wheat they sneak into the mash. Sweet bready notes, dark dried fruits, jam, and amazing notes of granular sweetness as well. If you ever have a chance to try this whiskey, go for it (if the price is right). I got a small sample bottle from a co worker who won the lottery at our local Total Wine, and I am so grateful to have been able to try this whiskey for free. It is worth it if you can get it around msrp give or take $50. I am pleased and surprised by the quality of this whiskey, get one if you can.

Nose: Honestly just high corn mash bill bourbon. Vanilla, cinnamon,maybe caramel Palate: smooth bourbon, but honestly not any special notes. Drinks well below 107 proof. DO NOT add water or ice Finish: It's just Weller 107 with a couple extra years. Oakier and smoother, but not worth secondary for a full bottle I'm going 4.25 not because it isn't good, but because it's not worth the price you'll pay for it.

Nose of Red Hots, wheat, oak, charcoal, burnt caramel, vanilla, green herbs and soy sauce. Palate very smooth, oak, char, wheat, vanilla, black pepper. Long spicy peppery finish. This is more interesting, more complex, and better than the 20 year. I only mention this as a comment on the hype that surrounds these things. @twostal

This is a nice whiskey- smooth, rich and complex- but I don't know that it's worth the price. I get notes of toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, slight nuttiness. A quite spicy lingering cinnamon finish, like sucking on a Red Hot- almost too spicy for me.