Can anyone tell me more a bout this Rip Van Winkle bottle?
So this came through my store, anyone know anything about it? http://imgur.com/Fh3XfTK http://imgur.com/jvKX1uu https://imgur.com/JQF0god
Posted Jun 19, 2015, 11:19 PM UTC
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For those of you concerned about the lead deposits in an older ceramic decanter, share it.
Seriously, spread that out among friends, and give 20 people a 1 ounce pour. Instead of slowly killing just you, share it with your friends, and spread any possible lead poisoning out among those who are excited about drinking a little bit of historic whiskey that is timeless. (And bonus lead.)
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The tax strip is missing so contents could be questionable
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The tax strip is intact just not in the pictures. The other store I got it from had it in their basement for more than 20 years
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Assuming the cork stayed tight the bourbon should still be good to drink. If it feels pretty full you are probably in good shape. When you go to uncork it the cork will probably break in half and you may need to use a corkscrew to get the remainder out. If cork pieces fall into the bottle the pour the contents out through a coffee filter to remove cork pieces. If the bourbon is cloudy or muddy looking I woukdnt drink it. If its still clear goodto go.
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The Van Winkle family sold Stitzel-Weller distillery in 1972. They kept the Old Rip Van Winkle pre pro label and began life as non-distiller producers using old S-W stocks. Nobody wanted the bourbon so they resorted to fancy decanters to sell the stuff. Your bottle (obviously) was made around 1976 and has (most likely) 86 proof SW bourbon-the equivalent of Old Fitz Prime.
I'm personally a bit skittish about those old decanters due to some possibility of lead transfer. But most folks would say drink it. Should be tasty if the seal is tight.
Edit: if you are just a creepy dude looking for "value" to flip something then I take back any helpful info I may have naively provided.
Thank you for the info! I have no interest in flipping or selling this bottle (ive had it for 2 years already). I just want to know what it is/if its worth drinking
Good for you. Then I would do a little internet searching and decide if you are concerned about the lead potential I mentioned. Barring that and no oxidation it should taste about like the day it was bottled.
Not to promote flipping or anything but the value on these things is probably kinda high.
Dat pappiez doe
No doubt, but I don't want to feed the monster that is the secondary right now. I know it's out there and reputable people participate. But I try like hell to ignore it and enjoy what I have stashed and what I can acquire at retail. I know I know, grumpy bastard.
Man I know it's cool to have and all but some fool with way more disposable income than me will probably pay a lot for this...I mean the secondary for new pappy is retarded, I can't imagine what this might go for.
There's a very interesting write up about decanters transferring lead by Mike jasinski on straightbourbon.com. search for it
Yep, that's what I had in mind when I posted the warning. Although IIRC the results of that thread and the testing done were pretty mixed.