Looking to score a coveted taste of the legendary bourbon Pappy Van Winkle? Just book yourself a flight into, out of or laying over at New York City’s JFK. Yup, you can find 23-year-old Pappy at the airport bar. Just be prepared to pay up.
Tasting Table editor-in-chief Kat Kinsman made the excellent bourbon discovery during her recent travels. As fun as finding Pappy at the airport must be, it seems the even bigger surprise was the price tag. “A person *could* order this $165 Pappy Manhattan at the airport. And they *do* per the server. Here, AT THE AIRPORT,” she tweeted out. But for those looking to save some cash after blowing plenty on their travels, they can skip the cocktail and drink Pappy neat for $95.
So what did Kinsman think of her $165 cocktail? Turns out she decided against the drink, though the price wasn’t the reason. “I revere the generations-old bourbon craft practiced by the Van Winkle family, and the notion of it being adulterated with anything other than a flick of branch water makes my heart sink,” Kinsman told us. “It's like taking a Sharpie to a Vermeer painting. If I'm drinking Pappy, it's a MOMENT (like we when raised a glass to my mother-in-law who passed away last week), not pregaming in Terminal 2. Oh—and I like the 15-year way better.”
Of course, not everyone can just waltz on into Terminal 2 either, though. BKLYN is after security, so you’ll need to be booked on a Delta flight (as far as I know; maybe the TSA will give you a Pappy exemption?). But there are probably easier and cheaper ways to get your hands on Pappy Van Winkle. (That may be the first time the words “cheaper" and “easier" were ever used in reference to Pappy.)
Still, Kinsman confirms that her server said the drink gets ordered “pretty regularly.” Hey, if you’re on vacation, why not go all out?
More good reads from FWx:
• How Bourbon is Made
• Whiskey is Getting Its Own Scratch and Sniff Book
• 5 More Classic Bourbon Drinks You Need to Know
