Old Rip Van Winkle Black Label 12 Year Bourbon 105 Proof 1988

Old Rip Van Winkle Black Label 12 Year Bourbon 105 Proof 1988

A legendary “dusty” Van Winkle release distilled at the historic Stitzel-Weller plant in the late 1970s and bottled in Lawrenceburg, KY in 1988. This 12-year wheated bourbon- bottled at 105 proof- captures the deep caramel-and-spice profile that put the Van Winkle name on every collector’s short list.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose | Caramelized brown sugar, butterscotch, dried fig, antique oak  
• Palate | Vanilla custard, baking spice, pipe tobacco, candied orange peel
• Finish | Long, warming, with leather, milk chocolate, and lingering sweet oak

Production: 
- Distillery: Stitzel-Weller (Louisville, KY)  
- Mash bill: Corn with a high wheat component, no rye  
- Barrel aging: 12 years in new charred American oak  
- Bottled: 1988, 52.5 % ABV (105 proof), 750 ml  

Pre-dating the modern “Pappy” lineup, Black Label 12 Year bottles surface rarely. Their Stitzel-Weller pedigree and robust proof make them cornerstones for serious bourbon archives and vertical tastings.

Pour neat in at cellar temperature or add a few drops of water to open the oak-spice complexity.