Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 Year from 2016 is a twenty-year-old wheated Kentucky straight bourbon, bottled at 90.4 proof from barrels chosen by the Van Winkle family. It is a quiet, layered whiskey, more about depth than power.
About This Bourbon
Twenty years in new charred oak concentrates a bourbon considerably as water and alcohol slowly escape through the staves, leaving something darker and more tannic. Bottling at 90.4 proof (45.2% ABV) rounds that off. This 2016 release was distilled in 1996 or earlier, and it pours a deep amber with orange glints. Once opened, keep the bottle upright and out of the sun.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Maple, baked pear, tobacco pouch and clove.
- Palate: Round and gentle, with honeyed caramel, red apple skin, cocoa nib and cedar.
- Finish: Dry and lasting, with oak tannin and fading cinnamon.
Serving & Food
Room temperature and no ice. A narrow-rimmed glass keeps the aroma focused; rest the pour briefly, then sip slowly. At the table it works with braised short rib glazed in soy and brown sugar, Cantonese roast goose, or salted caramel ice cream.
How to Enjoy
Sharing across generations, perhaps a parent and grown child pouring from the same bottle.
Product Details
Producer: Old Rip Van Winkle
Expression: Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 Year
Style: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
Mash Bill: Wheated (corn, wheat, malted barley)
Age: 20 years old
ABV: 90.4 proof / 45.2% ABV
Release Year: 2016
Volume: 750mL
Region: Kentucky, USA
Origin: USA
About the Distillery
Four generations of Van Winkles have now worked in bourbon. Julian Van Winkle III, Pappy's grandson, built the range as it stands today: he added the 12, 15, 20 and 23 year bourbons to the family portfolio, and later a 13-year-old rye, a very old age for rye when it appeared.
His son Preston came into the business in 2001, having caught the bug at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival two years earlier. His arrival doubled the size of the company's sales team, which says a good deal about how small the family operation was. Father and son remain the faces of the brand.