Every bourbon fan would love to get their hands on a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. While the acclaimed whiskey isn’t hard to find online these days, after bearing the title of world’s best bourbon for more than a decade, the markup on readily available bottles is astronomical. The baseline 10 Year starts around $800 and the 23 Year commands at least $3,000.
Fortunately for you, I’ve spent more than a decade hunting for the best Pappy Van Winkle alternatives. My picks below are all better bang-for-your-buck bottles, and several are undeniably better bourbons than a Pappy.
Ever since my first taste of the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon ages ago, I’ve been hooked. Along the way, I’ve tasted hundreds of bourbons and asked dozens of experts for their recommendations.
There are two approaches to scratching the Pappy itch: Bourbons that taste similar, and brands that very nearly match its star power. For taste-alikes, we’re talking about wheated bourbons. While all bourbons are at least 51 percent corn, most use rye to add flavor. Pappy uses wheat instead. Though this style of bourbon was once an oddity, the options have exploded in recent years.
Matching Pappy’s star power is the more expensive path. But if you’re giving whiskey as a gift and you’re more concerned with impressing your recipient, there are phenomenal high-age statement bourbons that, though not cheap, still come at a fraction of Pappy’s cost.
My list below includes both options, starting with the taste-alikes. Most of these bottle sell above their MSRP, so I included prices that reflect what shops typically charge.
Weller 12
Matthew Allyn
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