PRICE: $60 is the MRSP. Secondary market pricing is around $500-600. INFO: This review is for the 2017 release, which just hit bars. 2oz pour at $25 is very reasonable. This is 10 years old, and not officially a “Pappy.” 53.5% ABV. It’s a wheated bourbon. The mash bill is approximately 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. NOSE: 88/100. Sour red fruits. Cherries, plum skins, red grapes. Caramel popcorn. Noticeably more excitable out of the bottle compared to Pappy 15. More cereal character and less wood. Water brings out the spiciness, but thins out the palate, which already suffers a bit from thinness, so I would only try a few drops. PALATE: 86/100. Definitely thin compared to Pappy, but it’s got its own appeal by being younger, spicier, and less oaked. Sharper flavors of vanilla and caramel. Crisper fruit flavors. Cherries and cinnamon on the arrival, giving way to ginger, tobacco, chocolate, and soft wood. FINISH: 91/100. It’s very good. Lingering. It becomes more baked. Apple cobbler and cherry cobbler combined. Sweet, tart, cinnamon, cherries, butter. OVERALL: If I may pretend to speak to the family directly: very impressive indeed, Van Winkles. Not only is there an age statement, they actually humble this excellent whiskey by removing the famous “Pappy” moniker. You know if this were a Scottish brand that could not keep up with demand, they would adopt the strategy, “Let’s give it a cool NAS name that has nothing to do with anything, and charge more!” There would be Pappy Van Winkle “Democracy” and Pappy Van Winkle “Wildcat” on the shelves year round. Old Rip Van Winkle is not immature, just less mature, compared to Pappy. There are those who think the 10 and 12 year olds are better than the Pappy line of 15, 20, and 23 year olds. I prefer the 15, but I can understand why some would prefer the younger versions, and it’s not sour grapes. MARK: 88/100. VALUE FOR MONEY: Not worth the secondary market pricing. Not worth lining up. Worth sitting down for some pours if you have a friendly bartender offering at a reasonable price. I have a local liquor store that received 24 bottles, and were selling for $200 a bottle. Shit sold out in 8 hours. American hyper-consumerism man: I am staying the fuck away.