Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon & Rye Collection

Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon & Rye Whiskies

Pappy Van Winkle might just be the most famous name in Bourbon today, with some Los Angeles bars charging $500 for just one shot of 23 Year Old, but that wasn't always the case.

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with.

When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran.

When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

Shop our extensive selection of Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon and Rye, including Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve. Order securely online for local delivery or nationwide & international shipping.

Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon & Rye