Pappy Van Winkle's 23 Year Old Family Reserve
Over-oaked varnish
0 276
nReview by @numen
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall76
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- Brand: Van Winkle
- Type: American
- ABV: 47.8%
Color: Gold, tinge of copper Nose: apple pie, cinnamon, some combination of varnish and paint thinner, vanilla extract, some oak and wood dust.
Palate: medium-thick. honey, light caramel, oak. there are trace amounts of spice (nutmeg, allspice, and anise), but it's fairly subdued after the honey. Oak is somewhat drying, and there's a hint of slightly old cream-cheese.
Finish: This is usually the weaker point of the PVW line to me - usually an issue of length - and it's the weak point of the 23. The finish is bitter-dry, and a lingering sense of the varnish. I'm not sure what happened to the bourbony goodness of the 20, which, though lighter, has the classic wheater profile. The three years more in barrel did something to the liquid, and I don't like it. I have tasted this multiple times and have come away with a similar impression each time, so it's not just a bad taste here or there. I'm probably punishing it a little for the finish; the nose and palate are good, but not spectacular, but the finish really kills this for me. Very disappointing.
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Well, after a bit of time, I finally finished the bottle tonight. It's bitter-sweet (the moment and the spirit). On the one hand, I'll never get this again. On the other hand, I wasn't really keen to get it again.
I let oxygen take away a real chunk of the spirit, and it was for the best. It's less varnishy and not so badly over-oaked, but it's just sort of weak and bland. That's not a surprise as it was extremely low-fill for a long time. All the same, farewell!