The 2019 bottling of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Lot B. It shares the family's wheated recipe with the Pappy bottlings but comes at a milder 90.4 proof, which keeps it smooth and sweet.
About This Bourbon
Lot B is aged 12 years in new charred American oak and bottled at 90.4 proof, sitting between the 107-proof Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year and Pappy Van Winkle 15. Wheat takes the place of rye as the secondary grain, so there is less peppery spice and more soft caramel. The 2019 release keeps the plain label and clear glass the range has used for years.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla and toasted nuts over sweet, polished oak.
- Palate: Brown sugar and toffee at first, with dried fruit and a gentle spice through the middle.
- Finish: Medium-long and even, with lingering sweetness and mature wood.
Serving & Food
Try it at about 18°C in a Glencairn, neat and unhurried. If you want it cooler, chill the glass rather than add ice. Good partners are char siu, walnut and date cake, or a slice of well-aged cheddar.
How to Enjoy
Anyone after an easy, sweet Van Winkle pour, and a gift for a bourbon lover marking a 2019 milestone.
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: 2019
About the Distillery
The link with Buffalo Trace came about in stages. Sazerac's Buffalo Trace had bought the W.L. Weller brand in 1999 and was already making a wheated bourbon very close to the Van Winkle recipe. Its president, Mark Brown, first proposed working together and was turned down. He raised it again at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September 2001, and this time Julian Van Winkle III agreed. From May 2002 Buffalo Trace took on production from grain to bottle, while the family kept ownership of the brands and the final say on quality.