Old Rip Van Winkle 12 years old, your thoughts...

Van Winkle 12 Special Reserve Bourbon is usually (with some variation among batches) a very gentle whiskey. It is low in ABV compared to the Pappy Van Winkle 15 yo and has a more delicate flavour profile. Van Winkle 12 yo is the very first thing I served to your lady when you and she visited Baltimore. She loved it.

Because of the delicacy of Van Winkle 12 I would never recommend drinking it except on a very clean palate and as the very first whiskey in line. Wine-searcher.com reports current world average secondary market price to be US$ 643. US dealer price is typically $ 90-130, plus tax. Typical informal US secondary market is more like $ 300, up to $ 400.

What would I pay if I had none, and really wanted some? Probably up to US$ 150, maybe slightly more..

@Victor Thanks for your well detailed answer. SAQ also put the 2016 William Larue Weller in the lottery, but for that one, I didn't need any advise and had already enter my order and crossed my fingers. Now, I will go for the Old Rip... I am sorry not remembering it, I think that the 15 yo Pappy just overshaddowed it.

@Robert99 The "Old Rip" usually refers to the 10 year 107 which I personally like more than the Lot B 12. The Lot B 12 also makes for great trade bait for other Whiskies. I just traded a little over 1/3 bottle of the VW 12 for 1/2+ full bottle of Redbreast 21.

@Astroke Very interesting. I am not thinking about trading WLW 2016 if I get any but I would be open to trade ORVW Lot B if I get more than one bottle. I will inform my friends first if that is the case.

@Robert99 I would never trade the WLW as it is an epic Whiskey by any standards.

You are mixing these up a bit though, ORVW is the 10 year 107 proof and then you jump to the Van Winkle Family 12 Lot B.

@Astroke Sorry if I was not clear. I was using the name the SAQ is using. To be precise it is the Van Winkle special reserve 12 yo Lot b by the Old Rip Van Winkle distillery. As you can see. But at least we do agree that WLW is too good to trade.