Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) - Pre 2006 bottling

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. Actual product pictured.

It's no secret that Pappy Van Winkles are known as some of the best whiskeys money can buy - and the hardest to find. Millionaires have just as much difficulty as the average Joe. But Pappy isn’t impossible to obtain, you just have to be ready to purchase on release. About 80,000 bottles are offered annually. Truly unusual, uber-rare discoveries are the historical bottlings like this. Judged to be a pre-2006 bottling, one clue to the dating of Pappy Van Winkle is the raised lettering on the label. The words “Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve” were embossed so they protruded until around 2006, when a new label style was introduced that used flat lettering. You can see the difference in a side-by-side comparison of Pappy 20YO from 2005 and 2008, for example. For this edition, the back label features a picture of Pappy completing a round of golf. 45.2% Alc./Vol. One only.

"...beautifully constructed and remains one of my favorite bourbons ever." - breakingbourbon.com

In a blind taste test of whiskey labels from around the world, the Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago gave the 20-year old Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve a 99 out of 100 rating... the highest mark ever awarded. It began as a rye-heavy style but it's now a wheated bourbon, making the whiskey softer, sweeter, mellower and more rounded. It remains the most-awarded of the Pappys, and is sometimes compared with top shelf cognac, helped by its slightly younger age and slightly lower proof.

Other reviews... An ancient Bourbon, so should be a flavour powerhouse. But this is all about understatement and complexity. 95 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020

...Amber mahogany. Rich, mature aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, leather, tea berry, coconut, and dark fruit-very complex indeed. Big, coating, soothing texture. Flavors are very mature, rounded and nicely balanced, with notes of molasses, dried fruit, cinnamon, and teaberry. It finishes long, with a very soothing demeanor.... An exemplary example of the style. 92 points - whiskyadvocate, 3rd Quarter 2001 Issue-Vol. 10#3

...This has always been my favorite Van Winkle bourbon and after this recent tasting, it remains that way. It has aspects of all of the other Van Winkle bourbons in a single package. It’s nose is by far the best out of the bunch. It proves how important a bourbon’s nose really is to the entire tasting experience. The palate features the rich fruit flavors of the 12 Year, the cinnamon of the 15 Year, and a touch less oak than the 23 Year. It’s beautifully constructed and remains one of my favorite bourbons ever. - breakingbourbon.com

...Nose: Deep, powerful and concentrated. This has moved into almost rancio territory: eucalypt/laurel, spice, burnt orange peel, apple, pear, biscuity wood. Palate: Soft and surprisingly delicate given the age. A charred note adds to the complexity. Gentle and elegant: cigar box, prune, molasses, soot. Finish: Long. In fact it’s very, very long and complex. Comment: A subtle sipper to be taken neat and definitely without ice! 90 points David Broom - whiskymag.com

Raised lettering. See "Other Tips" https://whiskeyid.com/van-winkle-timeline/