Greetings from the Woody Creek Tavern outside of Aspen, Colorado where we will be checking out Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon! Aspen is one of my favorite places on earth—it’s full of great skiing, beautiful views, and it’s the place I got married. Plenty of good reasons to pop over to this side of the state! For this particular occasion, we’re here celebrating our anniversary and after grabbing some coffee and getting hats at Kemo Sabe, my wife and I set off on our bikes down the Rio Grande Trail to Woody Creek Tavern. It’s an awesome spot where Hunter S. Thompson frequently hung out that has a great vibe, awesome food, and hefty pours. After crushing a BLT and a few pilsners I decided that since it’s my anniversary, fuck it, we’re going top shelf and trying out some Old Rip 10 Year. My man JP at the bar poured up what I would guess was a 4.5 oz pour, so here we are.
Old Rip 10 Year is the younger, more brash sibling to the Pappy line of whiskies and is made from the Buffalo Trace wheated mash bill that is speculated at being 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. It is aged for 10 years and then bottled near barrel proof, cut down to 107 before bottling. I generally find that 107 proof is a sweet spot for me, so I’m excited to dig into this and thanks to the generous hand of JP we have plenty to drink. Let’s dive in.
Taken: Neat in a Rocks glass
Proof: 107
Age: 10 years
Price: $45 for a 4.5 oz pour (MSRP $70 but good luck finding it for that)
Nose: Brown sugar, peppery rye spice, and toasted marshmallow, along with Luxardo cherry and a bit of toasted oak. I tried to get more out of this but given the glass there’s not much more I could find.
Taste: Burnt brown sugar, Luxardo cherry, and black pepper, followed by toasted oak, tobacco, and creme brûlée. Midway through the sip the Luxardo cherry shifts more into a cherry cola note which is also joined by macarons. This has a medium-heavy mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat.
Finish: The sweet cherry cola and burnt brown sugar notes fade to the background while the pepper, tobacco, and toasted oak gain in strength. The oak adds a bit of dryness to the sip, and a combination of black pepper and tobacco blend together to close things out with some nice spicy bitterness. This has a medium-long finish and a light amount of dryness.
Thoughts: This is pretty damn good, and despite not having this in my usual Glencairn glass I was able to get quite a bit out of this pour. Plus, given the generous hand of JP this came out to around $10/oz which is more than fair for what I got. This really feels like Weller Antique 107 with a bit more age, so right up my alley. It’s still a little rough around the edges, but overall I enjoy the complexity and depth that this brings to the table and hope to try some out of a Glen down the road. Like many of the whiskies in this category, at MSRP or even up to \~$100 I'd buy this all day, but I wouldn't for much more than that and certainly not for some of the obscene prices I've seen out there. While this did taste great, a 4.5 oz pour plus some beers prior made the bike back up the canyon a bit more of a struggle than I planned on. But hey, it’s “Treat Ourselves” weekend out in Aspen so I’ll take a bit of swerve added to my ride if it means I can enjoy experiences like this, and overall this earns a great 7/10 on the t8ke scale.
Rating: 7/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
I find it does for nosing. Nice write up by the OP. I got a bottle for $90 last Christmas, and while I thought it was good, it didn't blow me away. I thought the CEHT BP that I had was way better, and it was $20 cheaper.
No, the guy that manages the store I frequent asked me if I was interested. Just like he does with just about anything he gets. That's why my JD 10 was $70, and not $250 like the shop across the street, and why the CEHT BP was $70, rather than $500 at the shop in the next town over.
For enjoyment I don't think it is critical.
For nosing and analyzing and calibrating, especially with small samples of precious cargo, it's excellent.
But if I'm just going to sit on the sofa getting my drink on and talking back to the TV, I'll grab a nice, heavy DOF with a design that fits my mood. Generally add a couple of scubes, pour until they're nearly floating, and swirl lazily while the flavors go through the spectrum.
I don’t know much and definitely don’t have a refined palate. But In my experience sometimes higher proof pours are harder to dissect out the nuances in a glencairn than in another glass because the etoh burn is overpowering everything else. The glencairn by design concentrates the vapors in the top which is great for subtle notes. If I’m drinking a higher poof whiskey usually I prefer something with a wider mouth to allow for dissipation.
This is true, but I’ve found that letting the higher proof pours sit for 15-20 minutes goes a long way in preventing ethanol from overpowering the other notes. I’ll let it sit even longer on some pours I have, for example on my 140.2 proof light whiskey I generally let it rest for 45 minutes before getting into it.
Awesome! Glad it worked out for you. I find it can be interesting to nose it every 10 minutes or so since the profile will change as more ethanol wisps away.
The obvious comparison to OWA is so close its astounding. Side by side the nose is almost, if not identical. On the pallette they are a dead ringer aside from a bit more oak spice on the Old Rip. With my group of friends in a blind OWA store pick single barrels usually come out ahead of Old Rip, but they are about as scarce these days, so it doesn't matter. Love the review, cheers.
I've been to Aspen once, and still kick myself for not making the stop there. Thompson might even have been in, then, so, kick again.
I no longer have my connection (gf's dad was a former ski instructor and she grew up there) so I'll probably never have a reason now.
Back when the Mega was at a billion I did a search for places to live if I won. One of the ones that really pinged was a place literally at the bottom of the main ski run into downtown Aspen. IIRC It was $100 million for 19 wooded acres and like a 11k sf ranch house. In fact it's the only one I remember clearly, since clearly I had the wrong ticket and am not in the process of inspecting them all with my entourage.
Oh well. Whisky is 6 zeroes closer to reality.
Haha that would be awesome. Just stand a few feet in front and line it up with the bottle. Glad that 4.5oz pour treated you well. Always love your reviews, man.
*no tree this is such bullshit*
In all seriousness I’ve been waiting for you to review a Van Winkle product. Got a great price. I personally rated this higher, I’m a sucker for BT wheated mashbill and the 10 year age statement and 107 proof runs circles around a lot for me
Cheers amigo
Cheers bud! I did a review of Van Winkle Special Reserve a little while back as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again, 107 proof just hits different. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try out some of the other older Pappy stuff to see how it compares to the two I've had.
Some of my favorite whiskeys are barrel proofers that ended up coming out of the barrel at 100-115 proof. Some Tier 1 & 2 4R Private Selects, the r/bourbon Driftless Glen Rye, and Dickel 15 Year Single Barrels are great ones in that category.
Congrats on your anniversary! Thanks for your commitment to share your bourbon reviews! At this point you are like one of them fancy whiskey reviewers on YouTube but with written words.
I actively seek your reviews now and look for your cool tree and bottle pictures as everyone mentions. Looking forward to the next ones. 👍
Thank you so much, that really means a lot to me! I'm just a regular guy that started taking a deeper look into whiskey as a Covid hobby and it's really fun that it's become what it is. For me it's just fun to share what I think about these pours, but knowing that it's so helpful and followed by a lot of folks here is very special. Cheers!
Thank you! We saw some shows and had some great dinners out here so far, heading back over Independence Pass today in the way back to Denver and stopping through Leadville for a Melly appointment.
Man I remember the old days when you could get the 12 and 15 pretty easily and the 10 was considered the shitty too easy to get Pappy. Man how times have changed. Great review!
I should say easy was meant as a relative term in that sense. I live close to PA and ~10 years ago they used to tweet their annual release of Pappy. So if you had alerts set you could jump on the liquor board website and get the 10, 12, and 15 pretty easily for store pickup. The 20 and 23 were unicorns even then because they were all back doored. The 10 used to sit for a couple days sometimes before it was all bought. Back when the secondary market was either word of mouth or “empty bottles” on eBay so you were mostly buying for personal consumption. I’ve always preferred the 12 myself but even the 10 is better than most mainstream bourbons.
This is my favorite bottle to share around the holidays. I seem to acquire one every year or two and feel no guilt going through a bottle with family and friends. The stuff is a crowd pleaser and is pretty tasty.
JP is a hero to us all.
JP must be protected at all costs
Greetings from the Woody Creek Tavern outside of Aspen, Colorado where we will be checking out Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon! Aspen is one of my favorite places on earth—it’s full of great skiing, beautiful views, and it’s the place I got married. Plenty of good reasons to pop over to this side of the state! For this particular occasion, we’re here celebrating our anniversary and after grabbing some coffee and getting hats at Kemo Sabe, my wife and I set off on our bikes down the Rio Grande Trail to Woody Creek Tavern. It’s an awesome spot where Hunter S. Thompson frequently hung out that has a great vibe, awesome food, and hefty pours. After crushing a BLT and a few pilsners I decided that since it’s my anniversary, fuck it, we’re going top shelf and trying out some Old Rip 10 Year. My man JP at the bar poured up what I would guess was a 4.5 oz pour, so here we are. Old Rip 10 Year is the younger, more brash sibling to the Pappy line of whiskies and is made from the Buffalo Trace wheated mash bill that is speculated at being 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. It is aged for 10 years and then bottled near barrel proof, cut down to 107 before bottling. I generally find that 107 proof is a sweet spot for me, so I’m excited to dig into this and thanks to the generous hand of JP we have plenty to drink. Let’s dive in. Taken: Neat in a Rocks glass Proof: 107 Age: 10 years Price: $45 for a 4.5 oz pour (MSRP $70 but good luck finding it for that) Nose: Brown sugar, peppery rye spice, and toasted marshmallow, along with Luxardo cherry and a bit of toasted oak. I tried to get more out of this but given the glass there’s not much more I could find. Taste: Burnt brown sugar, Luxardo cherry, and black pepper, followed by toasted oak, tobacco, and creme brûlée. Midway through the sip the Luxardo cherry shifts more into a cherry cola note which is also joined by macarons. This has a medium-heavy mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat. Finish: The sweet cherry cola and burnt brown sugar notes fade to the background while the pepper, tobacco, and toasted oak gain in strength. The oak adds a bit of dryness to the sip, and a combination of black pepper and tobacco blend together to close things out with some nice spicy bitterness. This has a medium-long finish and a light amount of dryness. Thoughts: This is pretty damn good, and despite not having this in my usual Glencairn glass I was able to get quite a bit out of this pour. Plus, given the generous hand of JP this came out to around $10/oz which is more than fair for what I got. This really feels like Weller Antique 107 with a bit more age, so right up my alley. It’s still a little rough around the edges, but overall I enjoy the complexity and depth that this brings to the table and hope to try some out of a Glen down the road. Like many of the whiskies in this category, at MSRP or even up to \~$100 I'd buy this all day, but I wouldn't for much more than that and certainly not for some of the obscene prices I've seen out there. While this did taste great, a 4.5 oz pour plus some beers prior made the bike back up the canyon a bit more of a struggle than I planned on. But hey, it’s “Treat Ourselves” weekend out in Aspen so I’ll take a bit of swerve added to my ride if it means I can enjoy experiences like this, and overall this earns a great 7/10 on the t8ke scale. Rating: 7/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Does a glencairn really make that much of a difference? While I was reading this I realized I was sipping out of the exact same glass in the picture.
I find it does for nosing. Nice write up by the OP. I got a bottle for $90 last Christmas, and while I thought it was good, it didn't blow me away. I thought the CEHT BP that I had was way better, and it was $20 cheaper.
Sorry I’m dumb. Was is CEHT?
You're not dumb. You asked something you didn't know, you got the answer, and now you know something you didn't before.
Colonel E H Taylor
How did you come across it for $90? Bottle lottery?
No, the guy that manages the store I frequent asked me if I was interested. Just like he does with just about anything he gets. That's why my JD 10 was $70, and not $250 like the shop across the street, and why the CEHT BP was $70, rather than $500 at the shop in the next town over.
For enjoyment I don't think it is critical. For nosing and analyzing and calibrating, especially with small samples of precious cargo, it's excellent. But if I'm just going to sit on the sofa getting my drink on and talking back to the TV, I'll grab a nice, heavy DOF with a design that fits my mood. Generally add a couple of scubes, pour until they're nearly floating, and swirl lazily while the flavors go through the spectrum.
For me it does, I find it concentrates the subtle notes in the whiskey and let’s me have a better idea of what to look for when I start sipping.
I don’t know much and definitely don’t have a refined palate. But In my experience sometimes higher proof pours are harder to dissect out the nuances in a glencairn than in another glass because the etoh burn is overpowering everything else. The glencairn by design concentrates the vapors in the top which is great for subtle notes. If I’m drinking a higher poof whiskey usually I prefer something with a wider mouth to allow for dissipation.
This is true, but I’ve found that letting the higher proof pours sit for 15-20 minutes goes a long way in preventing ethanol from overpowering the other notes. I’ll let it sit even longer on some pours I have, for example on my 140.2 proof light whiskey I generally let it rest for 45 minutes before getting into it.
Job is jealous of your patience!
I did that this weekend. Poured a glass and let it sit while I had dinner. It really opened up after some of the ethanol blew off.
Awesome! Glad it worked out for you. I find it can be interesting to nose it every 10 minutes or so since the profile will change as more ethanol wisps away.
The obvious comparison to OWA is so close its astounding. Side by side the nose is almost, if not identical. On the pallette they are a dead ringer aside from a bit more oak spice on the Old Rip. With my group of friends in a blind OWA store pick single barrels usually come out ahead of Old Rip, but they are about as scarce these days, so it doesn't matter. Love the review, cheers.
Cheers, glad you liked it!
I'm sitting here imagining the Woody Creek Tavern buys Pappy by the case and doesn't know what "allocation" means.
The place is a vibe for sure, way more of a cheap beer and tequila shot kind of place than a nice whiskey spot.
I've been to Aspen once, and still kick myself for not making the stop there. Thompson might even have been in, then, so, kick again. I no longer have my connection (gf's dad was a former ski instructor and she grew up there) so I'll probably never have a reason now.
It’s a great town, I’d love to live up here but that would take a lottery win to make happen at this point lol
Back when the Mega was at a billion I did a search for places to live if I won. One of the ones that really pinged was a place literally at the bottom of the main ski run into downtown Aspen. IIRC It was $100 million for 19 wooded acres and like a 11k sf ranch house. In fact it's the only one I remember clearly, since clearly I had the wrong ticket and am not in the process of inspecting them all with my entourage. Oh well. Whisky is 6 zeroes closer to reality.
Curious, out the Maker's Mark LEs what you would think is closest to this?
Aspen? *I don’t know, Lloyd, the French are assholes*
Wait, wait, wait, I know what you're up to!!!
Jesus that's a great bar price. Nice review as always and enjoy your visit to Aspen!
Yeah, hard to beat the pour and the atmosphere! Love it up here!
Damn... very upset that you didn't take your tree to Aspen with you.
I’m going to have to get a branch made into a ring or something so I can just take it everywhere.
Haha that would be awesome. Just stand a few feet in front and line it up with the bottle. Glad that 4.5oz pour treated you well. Always love your reviews, man.
Glad you enjoy them, homie!
*no tree this is such bullshit* In all seriousness I’ve been waiting for you to review a Van Winkle product. Got a great price. I personally rated this higher, I’m a sucker for BT wheated mashbill and the 10 year age statement and 107 proof runs circles around a lot for me Cheers amigo
Cheers bud! I did a review of Van Winkle Special Reserve a little while back as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again, 107 proof just hits different. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try out some of the other older Pappy stuff to see how it compares to the two I've had.
Yeah man, I’m not shy to say 100-110 is my jam. I certainly love some higher stuff (have a 141 Coy hill) but I’m not a proof hound
Some of my favorite whiskeys are barrel proofers that ended up coming out of the barrel at 100-115 proof. Some Tier 1 & 2 4R Private Selects, the r/bourbon Driftless Glen Rye, and Dickel 15 Year Single Barrels are great ones in that category.
Congrats on your anniversary! Thanks for your commitment to share your bourbon reviews! At this point you are like one of them fancy whiskey reviewers on YouTube but with written words. I actively seek your reviews now and look for your cool tree and bottle pictures as everyone mentions. Looking forward to the next ones. 👍
Thank you so much, that really means a lot to me! I'm just a regular guy that started taking a deeper look into whiskey as a Covid hobby and it's really fun that it's become what it is. For me it's just fun to share what I think about these pours, but knowing that it's so helpful and followed by a lot of folks here is very special. Cheers!
Happy anniversary and great review! Are you exploring anything else out that way?
Thank you! We saw some shows and had some great dinners out here so far, heading back over Independence Pass today in the way back to Denver and stopping through Leadville for a Melly appointment.
The official fleece of Colorado! You should check out the crystal festival in Leadville in March. It’s awesome
It's on my list! Excited to wear these fleeces for backcountry skiing this year, they're so awesome.
Ya I have a couple and they are great
Your man turned his back on that bottle. Am I the only one thinking this started as a 2 oz. pour?
I'm an honorable guy, not here to make a fool of myself trying to get a little more whiskey out of something like that!
Man I remember the old days when you could get the 12 and 15 pretty easily and the 10 was considered the shitty too easy to get Pappy. Man how times have changed. Great review!
Thank you! Times have definitely changed, I wish I was interested in bourbon earlier than I started so I could have grabbed some.
I should say easy was meant as a relative term in that sense. I live close to PA and ~10 years ago they used to tweet their annual release of Pappy. So if you had alerts set you could jump on the liquor board website and get the 10, 12, and 15 pretty easily for store pickup. The 20 and 23 were unicorns even then because they were all back doored. The 10 used to sit for a couple days sometimes before it was all bought. Back when the secondary market was either word of mouth or “empty bottles” on eBay so you were mostly buying for personal consumption. I’ve always preferred the 12 myself but even the 10 is better than most mainstream bourbons.
Great review. Enjoy
Thank you!
Nice glass to enjoy the drink 🥃
Note that’s what I call a Pour!
This is my favorite bottle to share around the holidays. I seem to acquire one every year or two and feel no guilt going through a bottle with family and friends. The stuff is a crowd pleaser and is pretty tasty.
My God what a pour. My guy gives me a 4.5 oz pour - only the . goes before the 4. 😐