Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year: The Rarest Release in the Van Winkle Family

The Oldest Standard Van Winkle Release

The Van Winkle lineup runs from the 10 Year "Special Reserve" up through the 23 Year, and each age statement pulls from barrels that have been resting since long before the current bourbon boom began. Twenty-three years is an unusually long time for any American whiskey to sit in a charred oak barrel — most bourbon reaches its peak well before then — which is exactly why the barrels selected for this bottling are handled individually rather than as a large batch.

A Different Kind of Wheated Bourbon

Like the rest of the Van Winkle line, the 23 Year uses the Stitzel-Weller-derived wheated mashbill, but this many years in oak shifts the balance dramatically toward the wood. At 47.8% ABV, it drinks with real weight: tobacco, caramel and dark dried fruit, with an extraordinarily long finish that separates it from younger, fruitier bourbons in the same family.

Rarity and Allocation

Because so few barrels survive to 23 years without becoming over-oaked, the yield on this release is smaller than any other Van Winkle bottling. It is allocated even more tightly than the 20 Year, and it is one of the most counterfeited bourbons on the secondary market — all the more reason to buy from a retailer that can verify authenticity and chain of custody.

Buying It at Caskworth

Caskworth offers the Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Family Reserve at $4,499.99, with same-day delivery to 33 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces. Pair it with the 20 Year Family Reserve ($2,999.99) to taste the full arc of the Van Winkle family's oldest expressions side by side.