Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year

Very nutty interesting, unique taste on the palate. I really enjoyed the nose. For a 13 year rye as it should be soft & well rounded BUT still prefer a $55 bottle of Willett 4 Year rye which is 1/2 point higher in my opinion, or a Handy .25 to .5 higher rating for me depending on year, which at retail is/ was $114...but the VWFR Rye was DEFINITELY a treat. Myself & 7 friends split the bottle which was AN EXPENSIVE TREAT, and if not at retail DOUBT I WILL REPEAT. The highlight was sharing it with friends more so than the actual characteristics of this rye. Getting tired of the game the Van Winkles play selling to stores knowing the bottle will be marked up 10 times & then they play god by attempting to shutting down the secondary market which to be honest could be solved if they limited the price via contract that their products must be lets say no more than double retail OR that store will not receive their allocation the following time PERIOD problem solved!!! What these ego maniacs do not realize in their myopic view is not all bourbons are distributed in all states as well as some people such as myself have had bottles for many years & some bottles no longer fit ones flavor profile as well as others so ideal to be able to trade without the Van Winkles stepping on so many peoples toes, in fact to show my disgust I will never buy another bottle of Van Winkle = NOT HARD FOR ME TO DO.

Yep, i just had this unicorn. I believe it is one of the hardest Rye Whiskies to find, and it is the hardest Van Winkle to come across. And you know what? It is delicious. I am not a fan of rye whiskies but this one blew my mind. Hands down this is the best Van Winkle i have had (and i have had the 12yo Lot B, the Pappy 15yo and the 20yo). Bottled at 95.6 proof (47.8 abv), with the most beautiful mahogany color. On the nose it is wonderful. Super sweet. Not a rye hint anywhere. Maraschino cherries, cotton, Maple syrup, Prunes, Liquorice and maybe a slight acetone note. The alcohol/acetone note makes it a good offer, believe it or not, because it is so delightful and sweet, that if you weren't perceiving this alcohol note you wouldn't think this is whiskey. On the palate is incredibly rewarding. I kept it there for 30 seconds and it was superb. Bitter chocolate, Oily. Cherries bathed in chocolate, Herbal notes (romero), Pepper, Liquorice, Maple syrup. Aftertaste is amazing. A ginger spice bomb, but very pleasant. Your whole mouth goes to sleep. Perfect. Overall this deserves a 100 over 100, an incredible whisky, one of my favorites from 2018. Cheers!

Nose: just looking at it was amazing. It had a beautiful darker color to it. It looked and even smelled like honey. It didn’t smell as spicy as I would have imagined for rye whiskey. I could smell dark fruits with a little bit of vanilla with the oak. Taste: I mean my gosh. So smooth, especially for rye whiskey. I got some spice at first, but it was more baking spices, like cinnamon. But that quickly turned into a sweet, but dark cherry flavor, along with some other darker fruits, like plums. This was absolutely mind blowing. Again, well done van winkle, you never fail to amaze me.

Aroma- rye forward, dark fruits, slight hint of herbal tea and I’m also getting a floral note. Cinnamon and oak comes forward as it opens up. Taste - Rye is big and bold on that first sip. Proceeding sips…barnyard hay, light citrus note like an orange peel, faint hint of baking spices. Very smooth, even lightly creamy on the finish. Again, I’m picking up a floral note mid to back of the palate.

One wonderful rye with a sweetness on the nose that transitions to a spiciness on the mid to back palate. This has notes of pecan pie, brown sugar, vanilla, dark chocolate, cherries, apricots, oranges, maple syrup, red apples, nutmeg, walnuts, almonds, cloves, cinnamon, chili peppers, and grass.

The nose is a great balance of honey, clove, rye, oak, vanilla and baking spices. The palate is dry and full of rich rye spiciness balanced by vanilla, cinnamon, baking spices, oak and a hint of maple. The finish is long with fading rye, maple, vanilla and oak, with lingering cinnamon spiciness.