Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon
Wheated Kentucky bourbon, allocated, long aged, and rarely on the shelf.
The story behind Old Rip Van Winkle
Old Rip Van Winkle is Kentucky straight bourbon, and it is wheated: wheat takes the place of rye as the secondary grain, which softens the spice and lets the barrel do the talking. Every drop ages in new charred oak, and the releases are small and allocated, which is why the bottles move faster than the truck can restock them.
The Van Winkle family name carries the label, and production in recent decades has run under arrangement with Buffalo Trace Distillery. We have watched this brand go from a quiet shelf pick to the bottle people call about first. Our answer stays the same: it is a wheated bourbon, aged long, made in small batches, and worth the wait.
Explore the Old Rip Van Winkle range
Three bottlings, one wheated mash bill, and a decade or more in new charred oak. Here is how the Old Rip Van Winkle line breaks down.
| Expression | Type | Proof / ABV | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Years Old | Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon | Varies by release | Youngest of the line, caramel, vanilla, soft wheat, gentle oak |
| Old Rip Van Winkle 12 Years Old | Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon | Varies by release | Two more years of oak, honey, baking spice, rounder finish |
| Old Rip Van Winkle 13 Years Old | Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon | Varies by release | Deepest oak of the three, toffee, dried fruit, long warm finish |
Which Old Rip Van Winkle is right for you?
Allocated bourbon does not come cheap, and we will not pretend otherwise. The Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Years Old sits at $799.99, the 12 Years Old at $1,399.99, and the 13 Years Old at $1,799. These are collector bottles with collector pricing, set by scarcity rather than shelf space. Availability is limited and intermittent, so call the Commack store at (631) 343-7200 to check what is on hand before you make the drive. When a bottle lands, it usually leaves the same week.
Lowest age in the lineup, so the wheat and caramel read clearly before the oak takes over.
The middle bottling, harder to find than the 10 and still short of the 13 year price.
Oldest of the three, deepest oak and toffee, the bottle you open once.