Julian renamed it the Old Commonwealth Distillery and created the Van Winkle family of whiskeys we know today. Related: Best Bourbons for an Old Fashioned, Tasted and Reviewed Van Winkle namesake ...
In 1983, his son, Julian Van Winkle III, bought an old distillery in Lawrenceberg, Kentucky and named it Commonwealth ...
“There’s an incomparable feeling of joy that comes from finding a bottle of Pappy on the shelf,” said Julian Van Winkle III, President, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, in the news release.