Tom Bulleit at the Stitzel-Weller distillery; his bourbon isn’t made there—no whiskey is anymore—but it has become the “home” of Bulleit bourbon. Who Made My Bourbon? Many of America’s most sought-after whiskies are sold by non-distiller producers. Just where your favorite bottling originated isn’t always easy to determine. BY CHARLES K. Cowdery hen blues harmonica virtu- What’s in a name? Even Shakespeare can’t quired whiskey, they just want to know who oso John Lee Williamson, give us a straight answer. On the one hand, he really made it. Others won’t buy any whiskey best known as Sonny Boy says names don’t matter. A rose still has all the that doesn’t have a bulletproof pedigree. Most Williamson, died in 1948, characteristics of a rose even if you call it some- people fall somewhere in between. Wanother Mississippi bluesman named Alex ‘Rice’ thing else. Yet he also says that a man’s good Miller decided he liked the name and started to name is worth more than gold. Which is it? where is the source? use it. He never tried to pretend he was the other The provenance of a name—and the thing Enthusiasts often feel compelled to visit the guy (well, maybe a little, at first), he just liked the itself—may be important as well. Some people ground from which their favorite whiskey name, and was known professionally as Sonny don’t care where their whiskey comes from so springs. Scotland’s distilleries receive more red minnick F Boy Williamson until his own death in 1965. long as it tastes good. Others don’t mind ac- than a million visitors a year. Most of them trav- whisky advocate FALL 2012 69 “What’s in that Bottle of Van Winkle Anyway?” withdrawn from the tanks and bottled. With the Van Winkle bourbons it’s a bit more complicated. it’s all wheated bourbon, made at either Buffalo Trace, new Bernheim, or Stitzel-Weller, but the proportions have varied as availability of the different stocks has changed. They create a flavor profile prior to each bottling based on what they have available and how much they need, then withdraw whiskey accordingly. every bottle is the same and contains whiskey from each distillery. For Fall 2012, Old rip Van Winkle 10 year old will be wheated bourbon made entirely at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort. Van Winkle Family reserve 12 year old (‘Lot B’) will be a mixture of wheated bour- bons made at the Buffalo Trace distillery The Van Winkle Family of whiskeys come from five different distilleries. in Frankfort and the Bernheim distillery in Louisville. ecause the Van Winkle family has 1999, and in earnest after 1999. When Sazer- Pappy Van Winkle 15 year old will be a such a long and distinguished his- ac acquired the W. L. Weller brand in 1999, it mixture of wheated bourbons made at Buf- Btory, and because their product line received stocks of wheated bourbon made falo Trace, Bernheim, and Stitzel-Weller. is so expensive and hard to find, there is at the new Bernheim distillery between 1992 Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old will be a always great interest in the provenance of and 1999, and at Stitzel-Weller before 1992. mixture of wheated bourbons made at Buf- Van Winkle whiskeys. it may also be that Here, specifically, is the makeup for the falo Trace and Stitzel-Weller. because Van Winkle whiskeys have such an Fall 2012 Van Winkle release. This informa- The Fall 2012 allocation of Pappy 23 year outsize reputation they are often purchased tion comes directly from Julian Van Winkle. old was bottled years ago and is all Stitzel- by people who are new to the subject and Van Winkle Family reserve rye has long Weller, but the next time they bottle Pappy know very little about who makes whiskey been a 50/50 combination of medley (Ow- 23 it will contain Buffalo Trace wheated or how they do it. They just know Pappy Van ensboro) and cream of kentucky (old Bern- bourbon. (Buffalo Trace bourbon made in Winkle is “The Best!” heim in Louisville) rye whiskey. it was all with- 1991 will turn 23 in 2014.) it’s no secret that the Old rip Van Winkle drawn from barrels and entered into stainless eventually, as current stocks are depleted, distillery is a marketing company, and a brand, steel tanks years ago. each fall, some of it is everything will be from Buffalo Trace. run by Julian Van Winkle iii and his son, Pres- ton, with partners the Sazerac company. Julian’s grandfather, known as ‘Pappy,’ formed the Stitzel-Weller distillery during Prohibition by merging his company, W. L. Weller and Sons, a wholesaler, with A. Ph. Stitzel, a distiller. When Julian’s father was forced to sell Stitzel-Weller in 1972, he re- tained all rights to the Van Winkle name. He became a non-distiller producer, mostly sell- ing wheated bourbon made at Stitzel-Weller. Julian iii took over when his father died. Stitzel-Weller, today owned by diageo, stopped distilling in 1992. About ten years ago, with whiskey from Stitzel-Weller running low, the Van Winkles entered into a joint venture with the Sazerac krug company to secure a future supply. Saz- A in erac’s Buffalo Trace distillery made wheated st bourbon sporadically between 1991 and Van Winkle whiskey’s current and future home: Buffalo Trace. kri 70 FALL 2012 whisky advocate Top left: The original Michter’s distillery in Pennsylvania. Top right: The old Fort Nelson Building in Louisville will be the new Michter’s distillery. Bottom left: Michter’s master distiller Willie Pratt (left) and co- president Joseph J. Magliocco. el thousands of miles to get there. Jack daniel’s, son’s, Ezra Brooks, Harrison’s, Pure Kentucky, distillers have a portfolio of products they sell in not-on-the-way-to-anywhere Lynchburg, Johnny drum, Yellowstone, Rebel Yell, Mich- under assumed business names. There is, for ex- Tenn., welcomes 250,000 visitors annually. ter’s, Templeton, Noah’s Mill, and many others. ample, no Knob Creek distillery. Knob Creek is Whiskey tourism is growing at a smart clip just Several craft distilleries, such as High West made by Beam Inc. So are Old Crow, Old Grand- about everywhere whiskey is made. in Utah and Smooth Ambler in West Virginia, dad, Booker’s, Baker’s, and Basil Hayden’s. So let’s say you are a huge fan of Bulleit sell some (usually very young) whiskey they It depends on what ‘made’ means. bourbon and Bulleit rye, and also of the rare make, and also aged whiskey made by others Templeton rye is partially aged and entirely and expensive bourbon and rye from the that they merely bottle and sell. bottled in Templeton, Iowa, and that’s where Old Rip Van Winkle distillery. You’re ready diageo, of course, is the world’s largest they have parties for their many fans. But ev- to make your once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. drinks company and owns many active whiskey ery drop of Templeton rye whiskey is distilled Where should you tell Expedia to send you? distilleries, including George dickel in Tennes- in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, at the same distill- Not to the Bulleit or Van Winkle distilleries. see, but when it comes to Bulleit and its other ery that makes Bulleit rye for diageo using the red minnick F : They don’t exist, except on paper. bourbons, diageo is a non-distiller producer. same 95 percent rye recipe. It’s a popular reci- FT e Bulleit, owned by diageo, and Old Rip pe. Redemption rye, from dynamic Beverages, L m Van Winkle, a joint venture between the Van Made vs. Made-up uses it too. The distillery is a recent acquisi- Winkle family and Sazerac, are both what There is nothing wrong with non-distiller pro- tion of MGP Ingredients, one of the country’s botto are called non-distiller producers. They are ducers. They have always been part of the in- major vodka distillers. nd A not alone. Many popular American whiskey dustry and most distillers are also part of the There are scads of new small brands coming HT brands come from non-distiller producers. non-distiller business. They make the whiskey out these days. One reason is an emerging trend rig They include Jefferson’s, WhistlePig, Master- non-distiller producers sell, and virtually all of establishments that want an exclusively whisky advocate FALL 2012 71 craft-produced back bar. The first thing they do Sazerac is the same. There is a Buffalo Trace Maybe it doesn’t depend on the name so is banish all of the major international brands; bourbon made at their Buffalo Trace distillery, much as what you do with it. Templeton rye the Jacks, Jims, Johnnies, and Glens. do they a Very Old Barton bourbon made at their Bar- has built its brand around the story of an il- know or care that, in many cases, it’s the same ton 1792 distillery, and a Sazerac rye made at legally-produced Prohibition-era rye whiskey macro spirits behind those new micro labels? Buffalo Trace. They also make, between the for which tiny Templeton, Iowa, became infa- It’s not limited to whiskey either. despite two distilleries, dozens of other whiskeys such mous. They claim it was Al Capone’s favorite. all of their fancy TV commercials about ‘craft,’ as Old Charter, Eagle Rare, W. L. Weller, George They position modern Templeton as a small, Blue Moon is made by the same craftsmen T.