Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Rare Pappy Van Winkle Whiskey at $145 a Glass on Menu at Astoria Bar

 Two of the hard-to-find whiskeys from the Kentucky-based Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery available at Bowery Bay.
Two of the hard-to-find whiskeys from the Kentucky-based Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery available at Bowery Bay.
View Full Caption
Bowery Bay

DITMARS — Whiskey fanatics, it's time to head to Queens.

Bowery Bay, an Astoria bar already known for its extensive spirits collection, recently landed five bottles of hard-to-find whiskeys from the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery — including the brand's most coveted bourbon, the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 Year, which it's serving for $145 a glass.

"This year we actually got the 23, which is the rarest and the hardest to get," owner Deni Anza said. 

The bar requests bottles of the rare Kentucky-based whiskey every year, though it's never guaranteed that they'll actually receive any, she said.

Pappy Van Winkle whiskeys are treasured because of their quality and because they're produced in limited numbers, according to Anza.

"As well as it being extremely high quality, it's just very, very rare," she said, adding that they managed to snag two bottles last year, which lasted only about a month before selling out.

Their rarity means bottles of the high-end booze often end up selling online at far higher prices than their suggested retail cost.

A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 Year, for example, has a suggest manufacturers' price of $269, but is currently available on one website for more than $3,000.

"It's supply and demand,"  Anza said. "They make very few cases of it, and when they sell it, they sell it, and that's it for the year."

Bowery Bay got its shipment last week, which included four bourbons and one rye. The most expensive is the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve that's aged for 23 years, which the bar is serving for $145 for a standard two-ounce pour.

They've also got the Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year, selling for $55 a pour, the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15 Year, which patrons can try for $85 a pour, and the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year, which is going for $50 a pour.

In addition, the Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year is selling for $65 a glass, and a flight of three one-ounce tastes each of the 10 Year, the 12 Year and the Rye for $85.

"So you get to taste a little bit of each," Anza said.

She admitted that not everyone is willing to pay such steep prices for a taste of whiskey, though die-hard enthusiasts are known to go to great lengths for the brand.

"There are people who go in search of it," she said.

Customers who want a drink at a more modest price can order one of the more than 100 other whiskeys on Bowery Bay's menu.

The bar, located on Ditmars Boulevard and 21st Street, is open at 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.