Plenty of whiskies pick up cult followings, but few seize the passion of the drinking public like Pappy Van Winkle. The bourbon, from Buffalo Trace Distillery, is so wildly popular that it consistently sells out as soon as it becomes available, and the prices to buy on the secondary market are eye watering. It’s such a desirable bottle that people are constantly looking for alternatives, while the original remains something of a holy grail for many collectors.
While there are a number of whiskies that are produced under the Van Winkle name, the one which is the most desirable is the Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve, which comes in three varieties aged for 15, 20, or 23 years. It is this long aging period which makes Pappy so unusual for a bourbon, as most are typically only aged for a few years at most. The aging is part of why it is so difficult to obtain as well, because there is a very limited supply available due to its age.
If you’ve searched in vain for a bottle of Pappy and given up on the possibility of ever trying it without spending thousands of dollars, then there’s good news for you. The menswear brand Huckberry is giving away a bottle of the Family Reserve 20 year old as well as $12,000 in cash to one lucky recipient as part of its 11th annual Pappy giveaway.
Any order of more than $75 made on the Huckberry website between now and September 26 will be automatically entered into the prize draw, with the winner to be announced on October 1.
