Old Rip Van Winkle Bay Colony Bicentennial (1775-1975) / 43% / 0.75l

Julian " Pappy " Van Winkle died in 1965, leaving the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in the hands of his son, Julian Van Winkle II.

American whiskey producers were entering a bear market, bourbon's popularity was at its lowest, and citizens were discovering vodka and rum cocktails. With demand steadily declining, Julian was forced to sell the distillery and its "brand portfolio" to Norton-Simon in 1972 for less than $20 million. He kept the family's pre-Prohibition Old Rip Van Winkle brand, which he soon revived. The agreement with Norton-Simon guaranteed him office space and access to Stitzel-Weller's stock of whiskey. With the bourbon category seemingly fading away, Van Winkle focused on individual orders and limited-edition specials. These were offered in ceramic and stoneware vessels and always contained genuine Stitzel-Weller bourbon.

Here we present one of the most glorious pages of American whiskey, written in 1975. This edition commemorates the Bay Colony, the seed of the United States, and the unique decanter made by Cumberland Porcelain is decorated with historical scenes, including the Boston Tea Party, the Battles of Lexington and Bedford, and the motto from the first American flag (Bedford Flag) - Vince Aut Morire - or "Conquer or Die". Its contents, distilled in the 1960s under the tenure of son Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle, are a memory of a great family, a distillery that closed in 1992, and a whiskey whose taste future generations will not be able to experience.