Old Rip Van Winkle Twisted Spoke 16 Year 105 Proof Bourbon (Green Glass)

Old Rip Van Winkle Twisted Spoke 16 Year, 105 Proof — a privately authorized Stitzel-Weller era bottling produced for the Twisted Spoke bar in Chicago, Illinois. Bottled in the late 1990s under authorization from Julian Van Winkle III, presenting 16-year-old wheated bourbon from the final years of genuine Stitzel-Weller distillate in the Van Winkle program. Presented in the distinctive green glass bottle that identifies this specific expression.

The Twisted Spoke was a Chicago bar and restaurant known for its exceptional spirits program. The private label bottling — authorized directly by Julian Van Winkle III — represents one of the more unusual chapters in the Van Winkle bottling history: a named on-premise account receiving a privately labeled expression of Stitzel-Weller wheated bourbon. At 16 years and 105 proof, this is Stitzel-Weller distillate at meaningful age and proof. Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville closed in 1992, making each private bottling from this era a historically significant document of that distillery's final production.

Specs

• Distillery: Stitzel-Weller, Louisville, Kentucky (closed 1992)
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Wheated
• Age: 16 years
• Proof: 105 (52.5% ABV)
• Authorization: Julian Van Winkle III
• Retailer: Twisted Spoke, Chicago IL
• Bottle: Green glass
• Size: 750ml

Browse all Van Winkle expressions and rare spirits at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Twisted Spoke bottling significant?

Three factors: the Stitzel-Weller distillate source (the closed Louisville distillery whose wheated bourbon is the historical foundation of the Pappy Van Winkle program), the direct Julian Van Winkle III authorization, and the green glass bottle format that exists nowhere else in the Van Winkle lineup. Private label bar bottlings of genuine Van Winkle-authorized Stitzel-Weller stock from the 1990s are extraordinarily rare.

Is this the same distillate as Pappy Van Winkle?

Yes — Stitzel-Weller wheated bourbon, the same distillery and mashbill that produced all Van Winkle expressions through the late 1990s before the program transitioned fully to Buffalo Trace production.