This is the 2017 release of Lot B, the Van Winkle family's 12-year-old wheated bourbon. At 90.4 proof it trades the punch of the 10 Year for a rounder, more mellow glass.
About This Bourbon
Every Van Winkle bourbon uses wheat in place of rye as the flavouring grain, alongside corn and malted barley. Lot B spends 12 years in new charred oak before being brought down to 90.4 proof. The lower strength makes it a relaxed pour next to the 107-proof bottlings.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Warm toffee, toasted pecan and vanilla, with a little light oak spice behind.
- Palate: Round and supple, with caramel, sweet grain, a pinch of cinnamon and mellow oak.
- Finish: Fairly long for the strength, with nutty warmth and a gentle, drying sweetness.
Serving & Food
Keep it neat and just below room temperature, in a Glencairn or a small snifter. Ice mutes the fruit, so leave it out. It goes well with smoked pork belly, sticky toffee pudding or a few squares of 70% chocolate.
How to Enjoy
Bourbon fans who prefer mature, softer whiskey to high strength, and gifting where the Van Winkle name carries weight.
Product Details
Producer: Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery (made at Buffalo Trace Distillery)
Expression: Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot "B"
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: 2017
About the Distillery
When bourbon sales slumped in the late 1960s, the stockholders of Stitzel-Weller pushed for a sale, and in 1972 Pappy's son, Julian Van Winkle Jr., saw the distillery pass to Norton Simon. The brands went with it, bar one: a pre-Prohibition label called Old Rip Van Winkle, which the family kept. Julian Jr. revived it using bought-in aged whiskey, and that single label became the base for everything the family sells today, Lot B included.