Friday, November 2, 2007

Last Night's Tipple

Just as more Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye and Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old has recently come on the market in Houston, so too has more Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon shown up in the various liquor stores that I frequent. It's about $42 a fifth; and although it's not nearly as rare as the rye or the Pappy 20, it will likely be gone for several months when it sells out. So the obvious question presented itself: should I buy more so that I will have some in the bunker when my current bottle runs out? There is no denying the fact that this is an outstanding Bourbon and one of the finest exemplars of the wheated style of Bourbon available. It's also $42 a fifth. It's just not a good value to me, despite its quality. Had it been the Pappy 15, I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat. That's one of the most sublime spirits that I have ever had, and it's only $3 more a fifth than this. But while this is good, it is certainly not sublime; and I have too much Bourbon to spend that kind of money and use up more space on something that I don't feel strongly about. Anyway, my current bottle is now almost gone, and I really have nothing new to write about the way it tastes.

1 comment:

Mick Jeffries said...

As a Kentuckian, and a bourbon fan, I must say that this particular Van Winkle product is, for the $$, my favorite bourbon. Sure, I love Pappy 20, but this one is excellent for the price. Also, if you can get it, there's some stuff called Hancock's that goes for about $30 in KY that is damn good for that price.