Pappy Van Winkle

This entire endeavor started with one man and his philosophy of product over profit. Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle hadn’t always planned to enter the bourbon business, but his impact on the industry continues to be felt four generations later. As he put it, he “simply tried to be honest and make a good product.” It was that simple to him, and it has stayed that simple for more than 100 years.

Pappy began working at W.L. Weller & Sons first as a traveling whiskey salesman and eventually as the President of Stitzel-Weller Distillery. He helped shape the industry during and after Prohibition. Through his endeavours in the warehouse, the boardroom and on the road, he built a reputation in the bourbon industry that was second to none. Fine bourbon was his mission, and he accepted nothing less.