In today’s whiskey world, there’s one label that stands apart from the rest, both in how coveted and hard-to-get it is. We’re talking, of course, about Pappy Van Winkle. And while getting one’s hands on a regular bottle of this ultra-rare whiskey (of any expression) is an exciting enough prospect, the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery and the Van Winkle family themselves have just upped the ante by putting a set of five exceptional bottles up for auction.
The aforementioned bottles include a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year, Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year, Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year, Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year, and Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year — all signed by company president Julian Van Winkle (Pappy’s grandson). Intended to support friend-of-the-family Chef Edward Lee’s charitable project, The LEE Initiative Restaurant Workers Relief Fund, 100% of the proceeds of this sale will go toward aiding those affected by the coronavirus crisis. As of this writing, the present bid stands at $17,500. However, we expect that number to climb quite a bit before this once-in-a-lifetime auction comes to a close.
