Bourbon fans rejoice! There's yet another reason to make this season a much more festive one.

Famed distilleries Old Rip Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace have released their annual Van Winkle Collection. This time, there are additional bottles of 20- and 23-year-old whiskeys, as well as a 13-year-old rye.

It was said that barrels of Pappy Van Winkle 20- and 23-year-old Bourbons this year had a much greater yield than usual.

Within this year's collection includes:

1) Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10-Year-Old

Bottled at 107 proof, this expression is said to have a richly spiced nose with notes of licorice and dark cherries. The palate is said to have notes of tobacco and sweet fruit, with a finish of black cherries and tobacco.

It has an MSRP of $129.99.

2) Old Rip Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12-Year-Old

Bottled at 90.4 proof, this bourbon is said to possess a "honeyed sweetness with oak", as well as a touch of tobacco. The finish is said to be dry and pleasant.

It has an MSRP of $149.99

3) Old Rip Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13-Year-Old

Clocking in at 95.6 proof, this rye expression has notes of chocolate and spice, all atop "a pleasant oak throughline". There is also said to be a significant note of roasted caramel.

It's MSRP is $199.99

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon 15-Year-Old

This particular expression comes in at 107 proof, reporting notes of caramel corn and vanilla on the nose, with a sweet palate full of leather and dark fruit.

It has an MSRP of $199.99.

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon 20-Year-Old

At 90.4 proof, this expression is said to be the perfect winter whiskey, the distillery promises lots of warm spice coupled with chocolate and caramel. There's also plenty of cinnamon sugar and a dry, oaked finish.

It hosts an MSRP of $319.99.

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon 23-Year-Old

At 95.6 proof, This expression promises notes of cream, nuts and leather on the nose, coupled with a palate full of vanilla, maple and honey this whiskey finishes with leather and oak.

It has an MSRP of $449.99.

Now, as with most Pappy Van Winkle expressions, prices are anticipated to rise on the secondary market. The brand's popularity has certainly led to quite a few shenanigans by resellers in the past.

In 2018 and 2019, a man fraudulently sold counterfeit Pappy Van Winkle bottles filled with a "foreign substance" through UK auction houses.

To put a gauge as to how much the genuine article can resale for, in 2022 a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old Family Reserve (released in 2008) fetched US$52,000 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.

The Van Winkle family and Buffalo Trace Distillery have emphasised that they cannot dictate the prices individual retailers charge for their products and that consumers should participate in lotteries organised by various officiated retailers to obtain a fair price. 

Julian Van Winkle III, president of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery said: “Ultimately, the only legal and reputable source consumers should be buying from is a licensed retailer. This is the safest, fool-proof way to ensure your bottle is not counterfeit.”

The 2024 collection is now available in stores, bars and restaurants across the US with varying retail prices.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team