Looking for Pappy Van Winkle? What you need to know about this year’s bourbon release
The Pappy is coming ... but don’t expect for the coveted bourbon to be any easier to find this year. The cult whiskeys should reach retailers beginning in November but the supply will be very limited.
Buffalo Trace on Tuesday announced that this year’s release of the Van Winkle line will have far fewer bottles of the 20-year-old and the 23-year-old bourbons due to evaporation during the long aging cycle.
The good news? There will be about the same amount of 10, 12 and 15-year bourbons, and there should be more 13-year rye than in previous years, according to the announcement.
The suggested retail prices range from $69.99 for Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10 Year Old 107 proof to $299.99 for Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 23 Year Old.
But most people who find a bottle generally end up paying more. Sometimes much more.
“Unfortunately even though we suggest what we believe to be a very low and fair MSRP, we cannot control the price retailers charge, and some retailers mark it up even though we and the distributors that those retailers buy from ask them not to,” said Julian Van Winkle, president, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, in the news release. “We are committed to releasing quality whiskey at a reasonable cost and we hope retailers will honor what we suggest as a fair retail price.”
Many liquor stores and restaurants that are lucky enough to get a bottle will hold a raffle for who gets a chance to buy it. Kroger, which often gets dozens, usually holds raffles at different stores.
Buffalo Trace urged bourbon fans to be wary of online resellers.
“Trading and selling bourbon online is an unlicensed and illegal sale. If you are not a licensed retailer selling Van Winkle products, we are prepared to take action to curtail the activity,” Kris Comstock, senior marketing director at Buffalo Trace Distillery, said in the release. “Additionally, if you are a customer trying to buy a bottle at a licensed retailer who has marked it up above MSRP, we encourage you to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or contact your state Attorneys General office.”
Besides winning multiple awards in whiskey competitions over the years, the Van Winkle whiskeys have acquired a kind of mystique.
A man convicted of leading a bourbon heist that includes tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, as well as barrels from Wild Turkey, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Gilbert “Toby” Curtsinger received shock probation after 30 days.
And when Kentucky priest visited the Vatican in 2018, Father Jim Sichko personally delivered a bottle of 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle to Pope Francis and made news around the world.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 1:56 PM.
