Pappy Van Winkle

When it comes down to American bourbon, only one brand is rightfully called the most top-notch. The world’s most rare and expensive bourbon is Pappy van Winkle American Bourbon, offering only highly exclusive editions such as the most sought-after Pappy van Winkle 23 Years Old Family Reserve and the Pappy van Winkle 20 Years Old Family Reserve!

Julian “Pappy” van Winkle was born in 1874 in Kentucky and was later nicknamed as “Pappy” by one of his good friends. At the age of nineteen, Pappy was attended as a salesman in the liquor business W. L. Welles & Sons. Eventually he and his colleague Alex Farnsley purchased both the firm W. L. Weller & Sons and A. Ph. Stitzel Co., which merged in 1933 as the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. A brand-new distillery location was established in Shively, Kentucky, and operated under the supervision of the legendary master distiller William (Will) H. McGill, a skilled and talented distiller who embraced whiskey distilling as true craftmanship. It was the kick-off off Pappy van Winkle’s undisputed success!

The fact that the Stitzel-Weller Distillery survived the Prohibition, which forced most distilleries to shut down, is one big concatenation of the right chances being offered and the right choices being made. During this period of time, the company’s top salesman Jim Tonoli encouraged Pappy van Winkle to maintain the distillery’s operations by the production of medicinal alcohol, which most likely saved the Stitzel-Weller Distillery from an unfortunate fate. In addition to that, Pappy acquired the Old Fitzgerald brand stock for a sloppy $10.000 dollar after the Fitzgerald Distillery owner was forced to bottle up- and sell all of his stock.

Pappy van Winkle passed away in 1965 and passed on the distillery legacy to his son Julian, however the family sold the company approximately a decade later. Julian van Winkle acquired the distillery’s whiskey stock and established the Old Rip Van Winkle brand, which remained family owned until today. The Van Winkle Bourbon brands are currently manufactured and bottled by the Sazerac Company at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, among which the Old Van Rip Bourbon Whiskey, the entry-level counterpart of the Pappy van Winkle Bourbon. The legendary Pappy van Winkle 23 Years Old Family Reserve on its turn is highly rare and will be running out of stock shortly, its name however will continue its undisputed legacy.