It’s hard for us to imagine a more perfect bourbon in the world than Old Rip Van Winkle. Our friends at the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery simply know the secret to producing the world’s finest bourbons. Recently we were lucky enough to sit down with the President of company, Julian Van Winkle III, who is the third generation Van Winkle to run the company and carry on his family’s passion for making great bourbon.

The Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery has a four generation history. The Van Winkle family’s involvement in the bourbon industry began in the late 1800s with Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr. He was a traveling salesman for the W.L. Weller and Sons wholesale house in Louisville, traveling around the state by horse and buggy. Pappy and a friend, Alex Farnsley, eventually bought the wholesale house and also purchased the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery, which made bourbon for Weller. They merged the two companies and became the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Their prominent brands were W.L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still.

In May of 1935 at the age of 61, Pappy opened the newly completed Stitzel-Weller Distillery in South Louisville. He had a heavy influence on the operations there until his death at the age of 91. His son, Julian, Jr. took over operations until he was forced by stockholders to sell the distillery in 1972. The rights to all of their brands were either sold with the distillery or to other distilleries.

After selling the distillery, Julian, Jr. resurrected a pre-prohibition label, the only one to which the Van Winkles kept the rights, called Old Rip Van Winkle. He used whiskey stocks from the old distillery to supply his brand. Julian junior’s son, Julian, III took over in 1981 when Julian, Jr. passed away.

Camp Smoke: Growing up, was there any doubt you would end up in the bourbon business? Did you start off knowing you wanted to carry on your family’s work?

Julian Van Winkle: When I got out of college, I actually started working at a clothing store & worked there for several years. I was always infatuated by the distillery and the whiskey business but my Dad did not ask me to join him until later.

Talk about the importance of wheat in your bourbon and the role that it plays?

My grandfather, Pappy, always produced wheated bourbon for his brands. We feel that this is still the best mash bill for bourbon. It produces a smoother & more mellow bourbon. And since our Van Winkle bourbons are aged for anywhere from 10 to 23 year in new, charred oak barrels, the wheated bourbons pick up less of the wood & char from the barrel. We like to describe the wheated mash bill ages more gracefully than a rye bourbon.

What are bourbon consumption trends doing in the United States? Worldwide?

We have found that our business in the US is still growing. Our production is a lot smaller than the demand so we could sell two or three times of the supply we have now. I think the demand overseas is still very strong. There are many markets where premium bourbon is not available so the potential for future sales are huge.

Is there ever any thought given to producing larger batch bourbons to increase your overall presence in the market?

We are now producing more new whiskey each year than we are selling now. But the whiskey we produce today will not be sold for at least 10 years since that is the youngest brand we have available. Bourbon is not like vodka which you can produce today & sell tomorrow. It has to come of age and that takes time. However, we will never be a huge brand. Our supply will always be small.

Who are some other Bourbon producers that you have a lot of respect for?

I really like W.L Weller, which is produced by Buffalo Trace and is one of my grandfather’s old brands. I also enjoy Buffalo Trace. It is a rye based bourbon but it seems to be sweeter & smoother than other rye bourbons. I also enjoy Wild Turkey single barrel.

If you couldn’t make great booze for a living, what would you be doing?

Good question. I’ve got no idea. Maybe at least selling someone else’s bourbon. I love wine. Maybe I could learn how to produce that!

If you are in the mood for a drink and are NOT drinking bourbon, what are you drinking?

I really enjoy single malt Scotch. Not the peaty stuff but the Highland or Speyside brands. I frequently have some after dinner instead of bourbon. I also enjoy a good vodka tonic in the summer or a good margarita. With a meal, it’s always wine.

How well do you remember your grandfather? What kind of man was he?

Unfortunately, I was 15 when he died so I didn’t get to know him too well. He was quite a character though. He was well respected by everyone in the business. We would go dove hunting together along with my Dad. I also remember him sitting in his chair at his home enjoying a cigar and a drink after dinner.

Give us a food pairing that works really well with bourbon that people might not consider.
Any aged cheese, like a Gouda, always works very well.

Where do you see the Van Winkle brand 10 years from now?

I don’t see too many changes occurring from what we are doing now. My son Preston works with me now & we talk about not changing things too much down the road. We will have more whiskey to sell so that will be great. Perhaps we will be able to do some special bottlings like the 23 year crystal decanter we just produced.
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Thanks for all your time, Julian. To learn more about the wonderful world of Van Winkle Bourbon, visit their website.

Tags: Julian Van Winkle, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, Van Winkle Bourbon

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