Review #150; Bourbon #52: Old Rip Van Winkle 2017

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year (2017)

Part of the hyped releases every fall by Buffalo Trace, this is a wheated bourbon bearing the famous Van Winkle Name. Lets see how it holds up to the hype.

ABV: 53.5%

Nose: Cherry, Raspberries, Vanilla, Oak, Citrus Orange faint funk.

Palate: Mediumish Mouthfeel doesn’t match its proof, Strong Cherry, Faint Orange, heavy on the baking spices, allspice, nutmeg.

Finish: Shortish, Cherry, Oak, Orange, Vanilla.

I can see why this is popular, its a very fruit forward offering. Good flavors with a slight funk, if it was for sale at MSRP it would be quite a nice bottle to have on your shelf. That being said the hype machine is off the rails, this is a solid if unspectacular offering as it’s meant to be.

Rating: 6/10

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect