The Legend of Pappy Van Winkle Grows

I first heard about Pappy Van Winkle bourbon on a Bill Simmons podcast back in 2008 or '09.  He was talking sports with Wright Thompson (ESPN.com columnist), and on the subject of bourbon.  Wright mentioned that if he ever walks into a liquor store and there's Pappy on the shelf, he buys it all out.  It's that good and yet hard to find.  Over the past 5 years or so I've developed a greater appreciation for bourbon, so naturally I was interested in taking up this quest to find a bottle for myself.  I remember going to Stellar Cellar, our neighborhood liquor store, and being surprised to see 2 bottles of the Family Reserve 15 year, which along with the 20 year & 23 year, are considered to be the top-of-the line bourbon made by The Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery.

I remember seeing the price was $64 and I hesitated to buy it as the store also had some of the 10 year Pappy on the shelf which was priced more in line with some of the other higher-end bourbons.  But I remember Wright speaking specifically about the 15 year so I grabbed it off the shelf as it felt like I had found a prized possession.  After tasting it, I understood why it was in such demand.  I remember going back to Stellar Cellar a few weeks later in hopes of securing that second bottle but it was long gone, so I decided to take home a bottle of the 10 year to compare, but it just didn't stack up at all with the 15 year.  And that was the last time I would ever see any Pappy on the shelf of a liquor store.  The cult following that Pappy Van Winkle had attracted was now in full force, and this article published on Grantland in 2011 verified this truth Pappy Van Winkle: The best bourbon you will never find in time for Father's Day

Fast forward to 2012; I discovered Stellar Cellar maintained a waiting list for their once-a-year shipment of the limited supply of Pappy.  No one knows exactly when it arrives or how much is allocated, but I got on their list, and was fortunate to receive a call from the manager in late November informing me he had a bottle of the 20 year if I was still interested in purchasing it for $144.99.  Merry Christmas to me from Cindy it would be.

This year it seems Bourbon Mania! has really taken Pappy to a new level as evidenced by this Mar '13 article in the WSJ.  In anticipation of the annual shipment this November, I discovered that there's a now an app which tracks the Pappy shipments by state:  Pappy Tracker app
And then there's this - news broke last month that $25K Worth of Pappy Stolen from Distillery and the follow up story that HuffPost ran on police finding a "person of interest" in the theft.

Having heard 2013 shipments to TN have already occurred, I stopped in Stellar Cellar this week only to discover that their limited supply has already been divvied out to those at the top of the waiting list - I'm outta luck this year.  Fortunately, I have yet to open the bottle pictured above from last year so I'll anticipate the next special occasion in the coming year to crack it open.  In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy my growing collection of fine bourbons.  Some of my favorites include: Eagle Rare, Booker's, Prichard's, Blanton's, Bulleit, Knob Creek, and Maker's Mark.  Recently a twitter follower suggested Hudson Baby (the only bourbon made in NY), which has been a tough find, but now has been added to my collection after a visit to Buster's.  For a change a pace, I also enjoy Fireball Whiskey, Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon, and Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream if I'm in the mood for a desert drink.  Which other bourbons need to be added to my collection?