mg: mg: mg: This experience, which I posted about on another thread, was truly special. This bourbon, the Vintage 23 year old, 94 proof, is noticeably ahead of its 21 year old stablemate, which recently made the No. 4 spot on my Top 25. But the difference between certain levels of my Top 25 is noticeable, and there has always been something special about the top three or four, that the next three or four just can't match. And so it goes with the next three or four.
The Vintage 23 year old bourbon comes from a recently released, and mysterious line of bourbons all released at 94 proof, with a 17 and 21 year old bourbon as cousins. I know that I am widely read, and I really appreciate all the nice things that people say, and the fact that any attention is paid to my writings. So, I am imploring anyone who truly has ever cared about one silly word that I have posted in my six years on the internet, to listen carefully and heed the wisdom.
Buy THIS bourbon!!! Yes, it is expensive, and beyond most persons immediate economic reach. For those people, MAKE yourself somehow able to afford this bourbon just ONCE in your life, IF you are someone who likes to sip bourbon for slow, rich, meditative, tasting pleasure.
The Vintage 23 year old bourbon has absolutely NO weak points. There are times when I am bowled over by a certain spirit upon first tasting, but my opinion soon relegates itself to lesser hyperbole upon subsequent tastings. In other words, after the first tasting, sometimes Bloof needs to try it again and come back down to earth, in order to make an honest review of it. After five tastings, held in all sorts of conditions, and following all different types of meals, including a meal which left my palate ill suited for tasting bourbon, I can honestly say that the ebullience I felt after my first tasting still exists.
This bourbon actually stands second to NONE on my all-time list, but I just can't have two No. 1's. It soon became apparent halfway through my third tasting, that the Pappy's 20 was no match for this one, even the Pappy's 20 that I first bought back in late 2001/early 2002, which was different than today's version. The mighty Classic Cask 20, classic, bold and rich indeed, could also not stand up to the onslaught of complexity, rich body, and full flavored nature of the 23 year old from the Vintage Bourbon Company.
So, as I made my way through my five tastings, accomplished over the past week and a half or two, I would look left from my vantage point on the couch, time after time, at the row of empty bottles signifying my current Top Ten on the shelf that goes around my den. The only one left to compare it to was the mighty Hirsch 16 year old. It also made me regret never having tried the Hirsch 20, because I once had a chance to get it for a "walk-out price" of $185. Now, the Hirsch 20 is all gone, and if I ever do see a bottle, it will not be less than $500 and I will not pay that much, even if I should achieve extreme financial success. It also brought back the painful memories of having blown $211.82 on the late 2003 release of the Pappy's 23, which was interesting, but turned out to be nothing more than 95.6 proof root beer.
But THIS 23 year old bourbon is almost as special as any spirit I've ever tasted. Of course, the Classic Cask 22 rye and The Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 rye are still my all-time favorite spirits, but then it starts to get competitive when the No. 3 rye meets up with my bourbon list.
And the new No. 2 bourbon is just pure, flavorful, sipping pleasure. It is clear, extremely complex and unbelievably well defined in its multi-faceted flavor profile. Yes, it bowls me over completely. This an article about a truly superlative whiskey sipping experience. I've had ten shots out of my first bottle, and there is no disappointment or questioning in any sip. It is smooth, rich, and full flavored. It begins with a blast of slightly spicy wood, the most beautiful wood flavor that one could ever imagine, just like its 17 and 21 year old cousins. That seems to be a signature mark of this line, as each one has the most enticing wood flavor to start.
Then, the 23 year old hits you with a mouthful of plum wine, that washes sweetly over the wood, and gives way to warm sake, that intriguing rice wine, with its weird, but pleasant flavor. The sake soon backs off to a marvelous finish where the plum wine and wood come rushing back into the picture, and linger for a long, long time. This has one of the longest finishes of any spirit I've ever tasted. You will be tasting the last sip when you pick up the glass for your next, even if you're like me and take a long time between sips. I will also add that in the finish there is, and I'm quite serious, the occasional hint of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum.
Well, there you have it. And please remember, in order to get it, if you are going to compare prices, remember it's half the price of the Pappy's 23. With all due respect to the Van Winkle's, whose products I love, and whom I respect quite a bit, I have not tried the latest release of the Pappy's 23, which I understand to be much better than the one I purchased in early 2004, released in late 2003. However, from reading opinions of others who have tried it, most it would seem, still preferred the Pappy's 20.
If you can even look at the price on a Pappy's 23 and think of buying it, then save yourself the extra "C note" and buy the Vintage 23 year old. This one staggered the champ, Hirsch 16, leaving it bloodied and bewildered, but in the end, the trump card was the extra bit of spice, sass and even mystery that the Hirsch 16 has. The Hirsch bourbons were made with a huge proportion of rye in the mash bill, 37%, which probably accounts for that extra spice.
Nonetheless, the Vintage 23 year old is second to none, but sadly, it has to go somewhere on my list, and so it stands now at No. 2. Here's the new list.
Top 25 Bourbon List
1. A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16 year
2. Vintage 23 year
3. Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 year
4. The Classic Cask 20 year
5. Vintage 21 year
6. Booker's
7. W.L. Weller 19 year
8. Distiller's Masterpiece I - Cognac Finish
9. William Larue Weller 121.9 proof
10. Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 year, Lot B
11. George T. Stagg Fall 2005, 141.2 proof
12. The Classic Cask 18 year
13. George T. Stagg 2002, 137.6 proof
14. Baker's
15. George T. Stagg 2003, 142.7 proof
16. Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 year
17. Knob Creek
18. Pure Kentucky
19. Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve (original 101 proof)
20. Old Rip Van Winkle 15 year
21. The Classic Cask 17 year
22. George T. Stagg Spring 2005, 131.8 proof
23. Basil Hayden’s
24. Noah’s Mill
25. Henry McKenna 10 year bonded
