Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Rip Van Winkle Decanter 1971 Bottling

A 1971 special release of Old Fitzgerald Prime bourbon produced at the now closed Stitzel-Weller distillery. This is one of the earliest Rip Van Winkle bottlings from Julian Van Winkle II which would lay the foundation for his son Julian Van Winkle III to build the Old Rip Van Winkle brand into the behemoth it is today.

At this time Stitzel-Weller was struggling to sell its fine bourbon, and so the Van Winkle family began pushing more themed and ostentatious decanters to entice non bourbon drinkers. The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was sold to the Van Winkle family in 1957 by Pappy's business partner Charles Farnsley. In 1974 small runs of the Old Rip Van Winkle 7 year were produced, but the brand would find its biggest fame in the later 1980s and 1990s when it became the flagship for Julian Van Winkle III's operations at the Old Commonwealth distillery.

This is a 4/5th quart 86.8 proof expression aged for 7 years and bottled in 1971 in a porcelain decanter in the shape of Rip Van Winkle, the sleepy fictional character.