Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year

Distinctly medicinal.

Really great this year (2019).

2016. OMG!! Best rye I’ve had. But I don’t know if it’s worth the price because I can’t afford it anyway...

Very nutty interesting, unique taste on the palate. I really enjoyed the nose. For a 13 year rye as it should be soft & well rounded BUT still prefer a $55 bottle of Willett 4 Year rye which is 1/2 point higher in my opinion, or a Handy .25 to .5 higher rating for me depending on year, which at retail is/ was $114...but the VWFR Rye was DEFINITELY a treat. Myself & 7 friends split the bottle which was AN EXPENSIVE TREAT, and if not at retail DOUBT I WILL REPEAT. The highlight was sharing it with friends more so than the actual characteristics of this rye. Getting tired of the game the Van Winkles play selling to stores knowing the bottle will be marked up 10 times & then they play god by attempting to shutting down the secondary market which to be honest could be solved if they limited the price via contract that their products must be lets say no more than double retail OR that store will not receive their allocation the following time PERIOD problem solved!!! What these ego maniacs do not realize in their myopic view is not all bourbons are distributed in all states as well as some people such as myself have had bottles for many years & some bottles no longer fit ones flavor profile as well as others so ideal to be able to trade without the Van Winkles stepping on so many peoples toes, in fact to show my disgust I will never buy another bottle of Van Winkle = NOT HARD FOR ME TO DO.

Nose: just looking at it was amazing. It had a beautiful darker color to it. It looked and even smelled like honey. It didn’t smell as spicy as I would have imagined for rye whiskey. I could smell dark fruits with a little bit of vanilla with the oak. Taste: I mean my gosh. So smooth, especially for rye whiskey. I got some spice at first, but it was more baking spices, like cinnamon. But that quickly turned into a sweet, but dark cherry flavor, along with some other darker fruits, like plums. This was absolutely mind blowing. Again, well done van winkle, you never fail to amaze me.

2018, No. 1982A

The best! If you can find it at a bar or restaurant under $40 a pour, try it. Although, I have noticed older versions are a bit better than the 2018 “A” release