Old Rip Van Winkle 10/107
Appearance: When the rare elixir known as Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year/107 proof bourbon hits your glass its like an amber ray of sunshine roaring across the hills of Kentucky on a golden summer morning. At times it’s so bright that you need to protect your eyes with your hand or the visor in your car…or sunglasses.
Nose: As I inhale the sweet nectar I am reminded of a simpler time when I can almost hear the wagon wheels rolling west across the wheated plains towards prosperity and a better future . I detect notes of bourbon…oh yes, and some oak from the barrel. Just delightful.
Taste: Taking my first sip I am purely entranced as the flavors explode on my tongue. It tastes sweet, like candy…or sugar, yes definitely sugar. Just a hint of brown sugar maybe? And there’s the oak barrel again. It really shines through. At 107 proof it’s a little too hot for my liking so I add some water to bring it down to 90 proof. Just perfect. I wish they would bottle it at 90 proof instead so there’s more bottles of this precious gold to go around.
Finish: The finish is long, like…the stem of a long-stemmed rose. Blooming into a perfectly balanced flower of sweetness and oak….and corn and vanilla I think.
