Van Winkle 1974 Family Reserve 17 Year Old

This rare and sought after bottle from the Van Winkle family was casked in 1974, matured for 17 years before being bottled by Julien Van Winkle III. This Van Winkle reserve bourbon is believed to have been sourced from Boone distillery, the bourbon was bottled twice, this one in 1991 and a previous bottling in 1990 at 16 years old.

An incredibly rare offering from the Van Winkle family reserve. This was bottled in 1991 by Julien Van Winkle III. His father, Julian II had retained an office at the old Stitzel-Weller distillery following his forced sale of it in the 1970’s, but this hospitality was not extended to his son, who had to buy Hoffman distillery in 1983, re-naming it Old Commonwealth. There he bottled much of the best-regarded whiskey in America, including Nathan Stone’s, Very Olde St. Nick, the A.H. Hirsch Reserve, and this, the Van Winkle Family Reserve. Van Winkle III continued to bottle at Old Commonwealth until 2002, when thinning stocks necessitated an agreement with the Sazerac company, who warehoused his remaining barrels, and produced limited quantities of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve on an annual basis until it finally ran out. It is now distilled at Buffalo Trace using Pappy’s old recipe. These original bottles of Boone distilled Van Winkle reserves are incredibly rare and sought after in equal measure.