Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon

Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace wheated mash speculated to be 70% corn, 16% wheat and 14% malted barley
Age: 10 Years
Proof: 107

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year a.k.a. “Pappy 10,” if you enjoy chaos.

Yes, technically only the 15, 20, and 23 say Pappy on the label under Pappy Van Winkle. This one is Old Rip Van Winkle. Call it what you want. The secondary market will hear you either way.

Youngest of the Van Winkle lineup. 107 proof. Wheated. Basically the overachieving cousin of Weller Antique 107 who married into money.

Nose: Soft and clean—like a fresh comforter that costs more than your mattress. Red plum, Rainier cherry, fresh grain, summer cobbler vibes. Add white grape, Riesling, and yes… a faint whiff of Swedish Fish.

It smells expensive. Even when you pretend it doesn’t.

Palate: Juicy. Plush. Honey, caramel, soft tobacco, ripe peach acidity. It’s rich without being hot—like it went to finishing school but still knows how to have fun. Add water and it leans woodier, a little more serious. Like it remembered it has a reputation to maintain.

Finish: Warm, gingery, long. Full-bodied without torching your throat. It lingers like someone who knows they’re the most talked-about person at the party.

Overall: Is it magical unicorn juice? No.

Is it extremely good wheated bourbon with polish, depth, and swagger? Absolutely.

Call it Pappy 10. Call it Van Winkle 10. Call it “the bottle I can’t find at retail.”

Just don’t call it overrated until you’ve had a pour.