“Bourbon is America's native spirit, but with a history and tradition steeped in the cultures of the earliest settlers. This unique American product has continually evolved and been refined over the past 200 plus years..” says the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery website. Their own brand has been around for four generations and produces some of the smoothest out there.
We imbibed during the sweltering Big Apple BBQ at the outdoor Bourbon Bar where the adorable Crooners played in old timey fashion and exquisitely dressed bartenders made impeccable mint juleps and 19th centuries (bourbon, lillet, creme de cacao, and lemon) with the Van Winkle.
I plan to splurge on a bottle of their Pappy Van Winkle but according to their site only a few places carry it, and they're all uptown.. what the H, right?
By the way – do not confuse this with the grossy Old Grandad.
And on a personal note, Jim's late grandfather was named the Ripper – not because he once ripped a man apart with his bare hands as Jim had hoped, but because he would fall asleep in the outfield while playing stick ball like Rip Van Winkle.
But what do you think?