Father's Day with the Van Winkle Family - a Jack Rose Dining Saloon Tasting

Father’s Day at Jack Rose Dining Saloon offered an opportunity to revisit the Van Winkle family’s long arc through American whiskey, presented through both biography and a focused tasting. The program was presented by Chris Leung (Lead Whiskey Advisor at Jack Rose) who opened with the story of Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle. Pappy's career began as a traveling salesman for W.L. Weller & Sons in the mid-1890s. That early work eventually positioned him to help form Stitzel‑Weller Distillery after Prohibition, where he served as the first president. The discussion then moved forward to Julian Van Winkle III, who entered a joint venture with Buffalo Trace Distillery in 2002, establishing a partnership that allows Buffalo Trace to produce, age, and bottle all Van Winkle whiskeys under strict family guidelines.   

The Lineup:

• Elmer T. Lee | single barrel, x YR, 90° 
• Weller Single Barrel 2025 KST | x YR, 97° 
• Weller Full Proof “Jack Rose 2019” Single Barrel KST | x YR, 114° 
• Old Rip Van Winkle KST | 10 YR, 107° 
• Van Winkle Family Reserve Lot B KST | 12 YR, 90.4° 
• Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye KST | 13 YR, 95.6°

The tasting began with Elmer T. Lee (90°), a single‑barrel bourbon I associated it with a smooth Ancient Age character. A small addition of water opened the aromatics toward honeyed nuts, while the high‑rye mash bill kept the structure firm. The Weller Single Barrel 2025 KST (97°) followed, showing nutmeg and baking spices on the nose and a buttered‑popcorn note on the palate; water brought out pepper and dill. As a high‑wheat bourbon, it presented a softer grain profile, though the single‑barrel selection added definition.

The Weller Full Proof “Jack Rose 2019” Single Barrel KST (114°) offered a warmer expression with more concentrated baking spices and a toasted‑bread character touched with cinnamon sugar. The discussion noted that “full proof” is not a technical indicator of style, and that barrel selection remains the more meaningful variable. Moving into the Van Winkle lineup, Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year (107°) showed orange peel, herbs, macadamia nuts, and a light butter‑honey note—youthful but balanced.

The Van Winkle Family Reserve Lot B (12 Year, 90.4°) displayed cinnamon and herbal aromatics with a rounded, buttery mouthfeel. A touch of water increased the alcohol’s presence rather than softening it, a reminder of how older wheated bourbons can behave in the glass. The final pour, Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye (13 Year, 95.6°), shifted the profile entirely to fir‑like aromatics and herbaceous notes that distinguished it from the preceding bourbons and provided a clean, structured finish.