Photo libraries, in ascending order by bottling year

Note that the bottle was manufactured in 1974 but not filled until 1978. This was common with older-generation Van Winkle bottles. Presumably they would place a large minimum order for bottles and it would take several years to sell through them.

This bottle was distilled in 1967, before the sale of Stitzel Weller by the Van Winkle Family, and bottled in 1978 by Julian Van Winkle II.

Although the bottle date says 1980, Van Winkle was bottled at Stitzel Weller in Louisville until 1983 when Julian bought the old Hoffman distillery and started bottling in Lawrenceburg.

This was a Japanese export bottle; the wooden box was made and added by the importer.
Photos courtesy of ‘The Old Barrelhouse’ Australia

This export bottle is marked 88 on the glass, but could have been bottled a year or two later.

The Van Winkle Family Reserve 16 & 17 year were reportedly bottled using whiskey from the Boone distillery, which was also used for the first bottles of Pappy 20.

First two photos courtesy of ‘The Old Barrelhouse’ Australia.

This is a very early Old Rip 15, from one of the first years it existed. Notice the faux tax strip and lack of government warning.

Lot A was a one-time release, which was followed by the Lot B, which has been produced since.

Old Rip Van Winkle 15 year was produced from 1989-2003, when it was replaced by Pappy 15. Many connoisseurs prefer the Old Rip to the Pappy, and the Lawrenceburg bottles are especially valued, possibly because they were non chill filtered before the move to Buffalo Trace in 2002. Early ORVWs came in a slightly taller bottle with a sharper angle on the shoulder. You can see in the last photo the difference between 1998 (left) and 1994 (right) bottles.

Photos courtesy of George Perley.