This is the 2016 release of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year, the wheated bourbon that has carried the family name since the 1970s. Bottled at 107 proof, it is richer and bolder than its age might suggest.
About This Bourbon
The recipe is wheated: corn, wheat and malted barley, with no rye. It spends ten years in new charred American oak at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, where Van Winkle production has been based since 2002, and receives only a small addition of water before bottling at 53.5% ABV. The 2016 bottles reached the market in the autumn, following the family's usual once-a-year release.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Caramel and vanilla bean, with seasoned oak, cinnamon and a hint of cherry.
- Palate: Rich and soft, with toffee, sweet corn, baking spice and a creamy wheated texture.
- Finish: Long, with lingering caramel, clove and gentle oak dryness.
Serving & Food
Let the glass rest for a moment after pouring, then sip neat from a small tulip. If the proof feels heavy, add one ice cube. Enjoy it with crispy roast goose, maple bacon or a slice of pumpkin pie.
How to Enjoy
Fans of soft, sweet bourbon, and those tracking Van Winkle bottles year by year.
Product Details
Brand: Old Rip Van Winkle
Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey (wheated)
Age: 10 years old
ABV: 107 proof / 53.5% ABV
Release year: 2016
Distillery: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky
Volume: 750mL
Origin: USA
Region: Kentucky
About the Distillery
The Old Rip Van Winkle label was dormant when the family sold Stitzel-Weller in 1972. Julian Van Winkle Jr. had been pushed by shareholders to sell, but he kept that old pre-Prohibition name and set up J.P. Van Winkle & Son, buying back whiskey from the distillery's warehouses to bottle himself.
Much of it went into novelty decanters, which sold better than plain bottles in a slow bourbon market. The first releases were seven years old at 90 and 107 proof, and in 1983 the age moved up to ten years. That 10-year, 107-proof pairing is the direct ancestor of this bottle.