Review #550 - Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

The 'entry level' Van Winkle whisky, part of the annual Buffalo Trace releases - this is Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year, a 'handmade' bourbon originating in Frankfort, Kentucky. Like the Pappy Van Winkle and the Weller lines, this bourbon uses Buffalo Trace's wheated bourbon mashbill; the exact proportions of each grain used are undisclosed.

After the 10 years of maturation in their warehouses, the distillery bottles this bourbon at 107 proof (53.5% ABV).

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon

USA - Bourbon

MSRP: USD 130 (2024)

Available Price: USD 540 (2025, based on recent auction results)

Age Statement: 10 Years

Strength: 53.5% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 20% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Fantastic nose - reminiscent of older Van Winkle bourbons. Rich and dark, a decent amount of oak, which brings notes of leather and cigars. Lots of fruit, too: dark Luxardo cherry, sweet, with some purple grape, candied strawberry, even grape jam adding more red and purple notes. There are soft hints of powdered sugar and orange blossom.

Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel; nice warmth, but not hot by any means. Cinnamon and leathery oak start us out, bringing some drying flavor, but we get lots of red fruit next, also some tart grape juice. Nice wood spice lingers later in the palate.

Finish: Lots of leather and wood spice, and the texture in the finish is great - velvety, yet full-bodied. Freshly laundered linens linger in the finish, and there's a soft grainy backbone in the spirit; the fruit flavors have mostly dissipated. It's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: Very good bourbon - great even, but also a little step down from the other 'unicorn' bourbons we've tasted from Buffalo Trace, such as the Pappy 15 Year, William Larue Weller, and George T. Stagg. Actually, we do like this Old Rip more than the 12 year old Van Winkle Lot "B" - the higher proof point helps deliver much more flavor, and while it's a couple of years younger, there's still plenty of oak influence.

The balance here is quite nice - the nose and front of the palate especially were full of sweet fruit flavors, both bright and dark; that oak influence that built up later in the palate and into the finish left a nice lingering spice.

Value at MSRP here would be decent - $130 certainly isn't cheap, but for a high quality bourbon like this, it's worth it. Recently, we've seen secondary prices (based on Unicorn Auctions lots) sitting between $500 and $600 for this bottle; at those sorts of prices, value isn't great, as you can get flavor that's nearly as good for far less money.

Our Average Rating: 8.5 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating (MSRP): 6.71

Value Rating (Available Price): 4.18

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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