We are pleased to announce our Whiskey of the Month for this 2015 holiday season is Van Winkle Family Reserve 12 Year Old. In celebration of the Big Jones Bourbon Society’s fifth year, we will pour our entire year’s allocation for our Bourbon Society members, while supplies last. A truly special whiskey from a truly legendary Bourbon lineage, this is an excellent opportunity to try one of the younger Van Winkle bourbons with our compliments.
Produced and bottled in Frankfurt, Kentucky under the watchful eye of third-generation bourbon legend Julian Van Winkle III, the Family reserve 12 year old “Lot B” is produced according to the same wheated formula as the highly sought-after “Pappy” series, and is considered by many the finest of all the Van Winkle bourbons. That, we think, is a matter of taste, some preferring younger whiskeys, some older. Either way, we agree with the consensus that this is a masterpiece of the distiller’s science and art, and invite our Bourbon Society members to give it a try and see why we and so many others regard it so highly.
As supple and refined as any cognac, this wheated whiskey offers up a tantalizing nose of vanilla, candied orange peel, and Ceylon cinnamon with a hint of muddled berries, almost reminiscent of an opulent bubble gum made for the gods. The palate is often described as “nectar” the wheat pops nicely, smoothing everything over, while the characteristic sweetness of pipe tobacco on the lips kisses each sip. Across the tongue, cascading leather, spice, birch syrup, and caramel are a parade of delights. The finish is crisp, clean, and refreshing, with closing notes of spicebox and black tea. Bring in your passport for a complimentary pour any time this December!
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It’s free to join the Big Jones Bourbon Society, just ask your server or bartender to sign up on your next visit. You’ll receive a passport to forty of our more than sixty whiskeys. On each visit, members are welcome to one complimentary pour of the Whiskey of the Month (WOM) which will usually (but not always) be a straight Kentucky bourbon whiskey. Big Jones Bourbon Society members will also receive invitations to members-only events such as whiskey tastings and whiskey socials.
Of course you’re welcome to enjoy any whiskey on our list at any time. We’ll mark off your passport as you taste each of the forty whiskeys, and once you’ve tasted them all, you will earn the distinction of Master Taster, and win tickets for two to a one-of-a-kind all-out whiskey dinner. As the ranks of Master Tasters grows, we will host a series of dinners for Master Tasters.