Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15 Year Old, New Charred Oak Cask, 2019, 53.5%

Julian P. "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr. truly was a wise man who kicked off a family of fine bourbon makers with his mantra to make the spirit "at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always a fine bourbon". In 1893, he set out as a travelling salesman for W. L. Weller & Sons until eventually he and a friend saved up to purchase what would become known as the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. This Kentucky straight bourbon is distilled at Buffalo Trace to an exclusive wheated recipe created by the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Matured for 15 years and bottled at barrel proof strength (53.5% abv), this expression is only released once per year – as with all the Pappy Van Winkle bourbons – making it a very highly sought-after bottle.