Selected by the family, the 23 Year’s barrels each hold their wheated bourbon for twenty-three years, and the bottling strength is 95.6 proof (47.8% ABV). It is crafted at Buffalo Trace Distillery.

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.

What is Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year?

Twenty-three years in oak, a wheated mash and a bottling strength of 95.6 proof (47.8% ABV) define Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year, the oldest whiskey of the Van Winkle family’s 2026 collection. The family selects its barrels, and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, crafts it.

What proof is Pappy 23?

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year comes in at 95.6 proof, or 47.8% ABV, between the 20 Year at 90.4 proof and the 15 Year at 107 among the three Family Reserve bourbons. In the 2026 collection the 13-year Family Reserve Rye is bottled at the same 95.6 proof.

How is Pappy 23 different from Pappy 15?

Age and strength pull in opposite directions between them: the 15 Year, at fifteen years, is bottled at 107 proof, while Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year, eight years older, comes in at 95.6. Both are wheated Family Reserve bourbons from the Van Winkle family’s 2026 collection.

How do you avoid buying fake Pappy Van Winkle?

The Van Winkle family recommends buying Pappy Van Winkle only through licensed sellers. Its 2026 announcement tells anyone who suspects a counterfeit not to drink it, to report it to the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general, and to ask their credit card provider about fraud protection.