The 2015 release of Van Winkle Special Reserve, the 12-year wheated bourbon everyone calls Lot B. It is bottled at 90.4 proof for the Van Winkle family by Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky, and sits between Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year and the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bottlings.
About This Bourbon
The name dates from 1991, when Julian Van Winkle III released two batches of 12-year-old whiskey as Lot A and Lot B. Only Lot B carried on, and the name stuck. The recipe swaps rye for wheat, which gives a softer, rounder whiskey, and the 90.4 proof is the same as Pappy 20. The 2015 bottling is a single year's release of this ongoing label.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Toffee and caramel first, then cherry, vanilla and a little cinnamon.
- Palate: Soft and rounded, with caramel, toasted nuts and gentle brown spice over a medium body.
- Finish: Medium length, sweet and dry by turns, with vanilla and a hint of citrus peel.
Serving & Food
Serve at cool room temperature in a Glencairn or small tulip glass. At 90.4 proof it needs no water, and the family itself suggests it after dinner in place of a cognac. Try it with pecan pie, a slice of aged Comté or dark chocolate with sea salt.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers who want Van Winkle character at an easy strength, and anyone putting together a run of Lot B release years.
Product Details
Producer: Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery (made at Buffalo Trace Distillery)
Country: USA
Region: Kentucky
Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
Mash Bill: Wheated (corn, wheat, malted barley)
Age: 12 years
Proof: 90.4
ABV: 45.2%
Volume: 750mL
Release Year: 2015
About the Distillery
The family story starts with Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr., who in 1893 went to work as a travelling salesman for W.L. Weller & Sons, a Louisville whiskey wholesaler. He spent years on the road selling Weller whiskey, and he and fellow salesman Alex Farnsley later bought into the firm and took it over. The business worked closely with the Stitzel family, whose distillery supplied it, a link that led to the Stitzel-Weller partnership after Prohibition.