Review: Pappy van Winkle 15 Year, 20 Year, and 23 Year - Beast Masters Volume 1. Part 2

Review: Pappy van Winkle 15 Year, 20 Year, and 23 Year - Beast Masters Volume 1. Part 2

Insult to Injury

A while back we posted the first part of our private tasting with ace bourbon collector Jonathan Colton.  It was an in-depth, drool-inducing play-by-play of A.H. Hirsch 16-Year, arguably the best bourbon in the history of the world.  

Well it's time for Part 2, and so we thought we'd add insult to injury.  What could Jonathan put on the table next to the best bourbon in the world?  Well of course, the best three bourbons in the world.  The entire line of Pappy Van Winkle.  Remember that sexy close up of the AH Hirsch airing out prior to our tasting from the first post?  The one that made you want to pawn your family heirlooms for whiskey money?  Well, let's zoom out a bit...

That's what we're talking about.  

Who's Your Pappy?

There have been so many great articles on Pappy that we won't try and give you the whole history or tell you why it's so elusive, impossible to find, and generally awesome.  However there are some pertinent facts you should know.

Stitzel-Weller

The Stitzel-Weller distillery has reached mythical status in the world of the bourbon aficionado.  The distillery was opened the day of the Kentucky Derby, 1935 and run by Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Senior until his death in 1968 and then by his son Julian Van Winkle Jr until 1972.  The distillery then changed hands and was eventually closed in 1992 (note that 1992 is 21 years ago, that will become very important in future posts).

Stitzel-Weller made a number of brands like W.L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, and Cabin Still.  SW became famous for their 'wheated' bourbon recipe.  By law bourbon has to be at least 51% corn.  Most producers use rye as the second ingredient.  Using a technique coined by William Larue Weller, an early bourbon pioneer, SW used wheat instead of rye in the mashbill.  The combination of the recipe, ingredients, and conditions at Stitzel-Weller created some unbelievable whiskey stock.  Today, bourbon freaks hunt far and wide for any bottles containing "SW juice".

Julian Van Winkle Junior and his son JVW III revived the family's Old Rip Van Winkle brand from before prohibition.  After Stitzel-Weller closed, Julian III bought up old stock and started releasing more matured, aged bourbon under the Pappy Van Winkle label.  In the early 2000's, realizing that the SW stock was coming to an end, Julian III contracted with Buffalo Trace to source future stock of Pappy.

So, to make a long story short, in recent years Pappy has mixed Buffalo Trace and Stitzel-Weller bourbon to make Pappy.  Not so for the bottles in Jon's collection.  These are all early 2000's Pappys, and so they are all 100% Stitzel-Weller-produced bourbon.  The Holy Grail so to speak.  Gear up, let's take it for a drive.

Tasting Notes

Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year

Nose: Lots of dry sharp woodiness.  Sawdust and hint of tobacco.  Big back-end of vanilla, cocoa, nutmeg, leather and black pepper.

Body: Goes in dry and crisp and then opens up sweet and rich.  Immediately we're in heaven with this bottle, the wheat has a mellowness that counters the big sweetness and spice for an amazing balance.  It's got a good amount of spirit warmth that is welcome amid all the different flavors.

Finish: Medium-short finish leaves you with oak, tobacco, and vanilla.

Overall: Awesome, ballsy, rich and woody bourbon.  If this is the youngest we can't wait for the older brothers.

Pappy Van Winkle 20-Year

Nose:  Much sweeter on the nose.  Less wood, more raisins, plums and chocolate.

Body:  Ok, there was something happening when we had our first taste of A.H. Hirsch 16-Year that we thought we'd never experience again.  Just an airiness, an evaporative texture that makes the whiskey feel soft against the tongue.  The Pappy 20 is right there as well.  Like the liquid whispers against the palate floating a millimeter off the tongue.  Incredible.

Finish:  The most balanced finish ever.  Sweet, oak, leather, spice and spirit just melding together into fine cologne.

Overall:  The second best bourbon we've ever tasted.

Pappy Van Winkle 23-Year

Nose:  Jonathan said that when he opened this bottle a few years back, he was very disappointed.  He found it over-oaked, extremely woody - to a fault.  This isn't the first time we've heard this from people about Pappy 23.  We picked up the big wood right on the nose, amazingly dry cracking wood, like a pile of aged firewood.

Body:  Like many very old spirits, this bottle just takes time to open up.  Jon agreed.  After a few years in the bottle it's a brilliant spirit.  There's still the tiniest bit of bitterness from the extreme woodiness, but overall it's extremely refined old leather, oak, and dark spices.

Finish:  The longest finish of the pack, the smoke comes back layering nicely with the wood.

Overall:  One of a kind, big wheat and wood, for special occasions...

Sadly We Reached The End

All of these Pappy's were off the charts.  But the 20-Year was an obvious stand-out.  The texture and the balance were absolutely unique.  We could see craving the 15-Year for a big sweet drink after a rich meal.  The 23-Year would be a victory drink if you won a nobel prize or just made your first million - men's club-style refinement and intense dry, crisp, and woody powerhouse.  But the 20-Year is pure magic.  It takes the best of the 15 and 23 and then brings the whole experience to another level.

Thanks again to Jonathan for an unforgettable evening.  We've still got one more part to this series so stay tuned.  /SmokyBeast