Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year 2025 Bourbon

Price

$1,849.95

✔ Authenticated by the house — seal, fill level, and label inspected before release
✔ Documented provenance on every bottle
✔ Climate-safe, collector-grade packaging

Age: 15 Years | Region: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA | Proof: 107

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

107

Proof

53.5%

ABV

750 mL

Format

15 Yrs

Age Statement

Wheated

Recipe

Kentucky

Region

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year is the youngest and strongest of the three Pappy bottlings: a wheated Kentucky straight bourbon produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery for the Van Winkle family, chosen from barrels in the heart of the aging warehouses, matured fifteen years in deep-charred heavy oak and bottled at 107 proof (53.5% ABV). The 2025 release was announced on September 10, 2025 and shipped that month. Buffalo Trace's notes for this batch lead with brown sugar, caramel corn and vanilla, then leather, oak and dark fruit, and close long and dry with spice and oak tannin.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

The entry to the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve tier and the youngest bottle to carry the Pappy name and portrait, below the 20 and 23 Year.

107 proof (53.5% ABV): the highest strength among the three Pappy bottlings, above the 90.4-proof 20 Year and the 95.6-proof 23 Year, and level with Old Rip Van Winkle 10.

Wheated recipe: wheat takes the flavouring-grain position where most Kentucky straight bourbons use rye, over a corn base with malted barley.

Barrels chosen from the heart of Buffalo Trace's aging warehouses and matured undisturbed for fifteen years in deep-charred heavy oak, per the producer.

Introduced in 2004, when the Old Rip Van Winkle 15 Year was retired and its age moved under the Pappy label; 750 mL, one of six 2025 Van Winkle releases.

Nº 02

Old Rip Van Winkle & Buffalo Trace Heritage

Frankfort Wheated Bourbon Maturation

Distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, under the joint partnership with the Van Winkle family established in 2002. Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year continues the legacy of Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle, utilizing Stitzel-Weller heritage wheated bourbon traditions matured for fifteen full years in deep-charred heavy oak.

Nº 03

Craftsmanship & Cask Architecture

Heart of Warehouse & 107 Proof Intensity

Wheated Mash Bill

Wheat Secondary Grain

Replaces traditional rye with soft wheat, creating a velvety texture, floral honey sweetness, and gentle oak tannins.

15-Year Oak Aging

Heart of the Warehouse

Matured for 15 full years in selected barrels drawn from the thermal sweet spots in the heart of Buffalo Trace rickhouses.

107 Proof Bottling

Pappy Tier Peak Strength

Bottled at 53.5% ABV (107 proof), standing as the highest-proof expression across the entire Pappy Family Reserve tier.

2004 Lineup Evolution

Family Reserve Debut

Introduced in 2004 to succeed the original Old Rip Van Winkle 15-Year, establishing the iconic portrait label era.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distillery Tasting Notes

Sensory Profile

Colour: Hazy copper.
Nose: Brown sugar, caramel corn and vanilla, with wood and a hint of cherry.
Palate: Leather, oak and dark fruit, rounded by brown sugar and lifted by cherry.
Finish: Long and dry: spice, oak tannin and a warm trace of fruit and sugar.

Strategic Position

Strength runs against age across the Pappy tier: the 15 is both the youngest and the strongest, and the older bottlings are gentler. Step up to the 90.4-proof Pappy 20 one rung above, down to the 12-year Lot B one rung below, or across to the uncut 2025 Weller from the same wheated recipe, all held in the full allocated whiskey range at Midnight Whiskey.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault Provenance

→

Pappy Family Reserve Anchor

Marks the inaugural entry point into the portrait-labeled Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve series.

→

Bourbon Vault Context

Catalogued within the primary Bourbon Collection and The Vault at Midnight Whiskey.

Collector IndexPAPPY 15Y 107P

Distillery: Buffalo Trace / Old Rip Van Winkle
Series Position: Family Reserve Tier Entry
Category: Wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Proof / ABV: 107 Proof (53.5% ABV)
Age Statement: 15 Years
Format: 750 mL

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
BRAND / PRODUCER	Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve (Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery)
DISTILLED & BOTTLED	Buffalo Trace Distillery (Sazerac), Frankfort, Kentucky
CATEGORY	Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Wheated)
AGE STATEMENT	15 Years
PROOF / ABV	107 Proof / 53.5% ABV
MASH BILL	Corn, Wheat, Malted Barley
BARREL SELECTION	Heart of Aging Warehouses; Deep-Charred Heavy Oak
INTRODUCED	2004 (Succeeded Old Rip Van Winkle 15-Year)
REGION	Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
FORMAT	750 mL
SKU	89319123723

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Pappy 15 is built on the wheated recipe the Van Winkle family has used since Julian Van Winkle Sr.'s time at Stitzel-Weller, with wheat in the flavouring-grain position where rye sits in most bourbons. The family describes the selection process plainly: barrels are chosen from the heart of the aging warehouses, where conditions are steadiest, and left in deep-charred heavy oak for fifteen years. Since 2002 the whiskey has been distilled and bottled at Buffalo Trace under the partnership between Sazerac and the Van Winkles, with Julian Van Winkle III overseeing the brand. This 15 Year was introduced in 2004 in place of the Old Rip Van Winkle 15 Year, moving that age into the Family Reserve tier and the Pappy name. It is bottled at 107 proof, which is higher than either of the older Pappy expressions.

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What proof is the 2025 Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year?

The 2025 Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year is bottled at 107 proof (53.5% ABV) in a 750 mL bottle. It is a wheated Kentucky straight bourbon produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery for the Van Winkle family, aged fifteen years, and it is the strongest of the three Pappy Van Winkle bottlings; the 20 Year is 90.4 proof and the 23 Year is 95.6 proof.

Is Pappy Van Winkle 15 the strongest Pappy?

Yes. Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year is bottled at 107 proof, above the 90.4-proof Pappy 20 Year and the 95.6-proof Pappy 23 Year, so strength falls as age rises across the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve tier. Within the wider six-bottle Van Winkle collection it shares the top strength with Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year, which is also 107 proof.

When did Pappy Van Winkle 15 replace Old Rip Van Winkle 15?

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year was introduced in 2004, when the Old Rip Van Winkle 15 Year bottling was retired and the 15-year age statement moved under the Pappy Van Winkle label. The Van Winkle whiskeys have been distilled and bottled at Buffalo Trace Distillery since the family's partnership with the distillery began in 2002.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Buffalo Trace / Old Rip Van Winkle · Pappy 15 Year (2025 Release)

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Pappy Van Winkle's

The Elemental Distinction

Old Rip Van Winkle & Buffalo Trace Heritage