The arrival of September in Kentucky is marked not just by the cooling air and the hum of cicadas fading into memory, but by the annual reappearance of a collection that borders on myth. Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, together with Buffalo Trace, has announced the 2025 release of the Van Winkle Whiskey Collection—six bottlings that command more reverence than almost anything else in American whiskey.
The Return of the Van Winkle Collection
The lineup reads like scripture to collectors: Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10 Year Old, Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old, Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year Old, and then the trio that defines the modern bourbon grail—Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15, 20, and 23 Year Old. Each bottle will return to shelves in limited allocations this fall, priced from $149.99 to $499.99, depending on the age.
A Surprise: Old Rip Van Winkle 25 Year Old
But this year’s release carries a wrinkle even long-time followers did not expect: the reemergence of a single Old Rip Van Winkle 25 Year Old, first bottled in 2017 and left untouched at Buffalo Trace.
Legacy de Forge Bourbon Heritage Month Auction
Encased in hand-engraved Glencairn crystal, Bottle #706 will headline the inaugural Legacy de Forge Bourbon Heritage Month Auction beginning September 10, paired with a private tasting led by Julian Van Winkle himself. In a category already drenched in folklore, the discovery feels more artifact than marketing stunt—a sliver of bourbon time-travel.
Preston Van Winkle, the fourth-generation steward of the brand, described the release as “years of quiet work, careful aging, and a deep respect for the legacy we carry forward.” His father, Julian, put it more bluntly: “This collection isn’t just about whiskey, but what it represents.”
Tasting Notes Across the 2025 Lineup
The secondary market has already ensured that few of these bottles will be consumed as intended. Last year’s 23 Year Old routinely fetched more than triple retail on resale platforms, and scarcity only intensifies demand. Still, for the lucky few who manage to pour the whiskey rather than store it away, the tasting notes remain benchmarks: cherry and oak woven with spice in the 10 Year Old, fruit and cocoa layering the 12, the rye’s pepper and stone fruit, the 15’s signature sweetness, the 20’s citrus and sherry elegance, the 23’s bold oak and maple heat.
For the rest of us, there’s the story—one that grows richer with each September release, when the Van Winkle name reasserts itself as both bourbon and legend.
