Bourbon

Bourbon Review: Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old

We continue our exploration of Van Winkle bourbons as we review the Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old, the oddest of all of them.

OVERALL RATING

10
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Tasting Notes

About:

This 12 Year Old Van Winkle expression is bottled at 90.4 proof and, according to Paul Pacult, offers ““A perfect combination of age and proof.”
Appearance:
Burnished amber
Nose:
Rather lean and oaky, like the inside of a sauna. There are notes of incense, clove, wood, and mint underlaid by a kind of steely minerality. With water, things get a little more floral: notes of pear cider, honey, beeswax, and red currant.
Palate:
After nosing this whiskey, I worried the palate would be too astringent, but fortunately my worries were unfounded. While quite oak-inflected in the entry, the finish takes a surprising turn.
Finish:
After the swallow, there’s a brief, shallow burst of ethereal lemon followed by a clean and slightly tart finish with notes of cola, coffee, and bitter herbs that reminds me of a modern light-roast coffee.
Comments:
This was…odd, especially after tasting the lushly fruity 10 Year just a few minutes before. Two more years seems to have added a lot more oak to the spirit, and also amplified its acidity, but the fundamental earthiness in the finish adds just the right balance. Not my favorite, but interesting to taste anyway.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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