Picked this up as a consolation since I couldn't get my hands on the 15yr this time around. Next year I will have the 15yr finally!
Not sure why this little gem doesn't get much respect because it is every bit as good as I could expect the 15 to be. At only $65 it is a hell of a value as well. Smooth and wheated as expected from the Winkle's, with a nice buttered finish. Touch of spice similar to cinnamon I think on the edges. The 107 proof is well masked as you do not taste the alcohol at all in this. I am told that the W.L. Weller 12yr is a close cousin of this 10yr and the 15yr so I may just have to make that my everyday since it is so affordable and available. Regardless well done Winkles!
@Victor:: Yeah I getting to know the Van Winkle/antique collection allocation routine. I have made friends with liquor store owners with some success. I was just wondering if the 10 year, was more readily available. And it seems not. Thanks for answering.
Interesting to know about the spring release. Also, I don't know if you read "Bourbon Truth" blog, but he has some pretty downer stuff about the bourbon industry as a whole, including Stagg Jr. which you also have a less than stellar review of.
@MCM, no, nowadays it is extremely rare to see anything Van Winkle sitting on a store shelf in the US. Mostly you have to charm, hustle and/or engage in hand-to-hand combat to get yourself any of them...or pay an obscene scalper's bounty to someone else who did. These are all allocated whiskeys, so you have to find a way to reserve some before they are released. There should be at least a partial Spring Van Winkle release in the timeframe of April-May. The main release is always in the Fall.