Very Olde St Nick Harvest Rye Estate Reserve Artisan Crafted Cask Strength 119.2 Proof Kentucky Rye Whiskey (2022) 75cl
A highly regarded brand of bourbon that uses older aged bourbon compared to the others unless you look at Pappy Van Winkle or comparable types of bourbon. Very Olde St Nick is like the Chichibu of Bourbons with a little more cultish following. 4
Very Olde St. Nice Harvest Rye is cask strength and an extremely powerful whiskey. The flavours are all complex and beautiful, but this is definitely not a whiskey for beginners. It starts with an extremely rye forward flavor profile full of rye spice, rye grain, pepper, earthy and grassy notes. Behind the bold rye spice, you get a bit of toasted oak and caramel sweetness, but nothing to compete with the rye spice.
The Very Olde St. Nick brand is an unusual one. Long a staple of the Japanese (and sometimes European) markets, the brand has quietly been around the American market for some time, but it's a rarity that you ever see it - though that is beginning to change.
Per Preservation Distillery’s MO, little is known about the origins of the bourbon beyond it being sourced from Indiana and Kentucky distilleries, contains bourbon up to 15 years old, and once again, is not labeled “straight.” Often with blends stating they contain double digit age statements, the actual percentage of the older stock tends to be on the low side. Very Olde St. Nick Immaculata doesn’t seem to share that mentality, as it tastes mature and its accompanying flavor profile seems to back that up.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: Caramel, rye grain, toasted oak, rye spice, a light peppermint note, anise seed, earthy, grassy, citrus, herbal notes
Palate: Rye spice, rye grain, strong pepper spice, caramel sweetness, earthy, grassy, herbal, toasted oak, cinnamon spice, baking spices, light fruits, dried apricot, orange zest
Finish: Extremely rich, oily, and spicy finish with tons of rye and pepper spice – packs a massive punch with flavors that linger well after the sip is finished
About Very Olde St Nick
The distillery for Very Olde St Nick is based in Bardstown Kentucky. It specialises in rare and very aged bourbon. It has rarely ever left the United States due to its popularity. Could be said to be rarer and harder to get a hold of than a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle.
Established in 1986, the Very Olde St. Nick (VOSN) brand was started by Marci Palatella to capitalise on the growing demand in Japan for ultra-aged bourbon. As Julian Van Winkle III’s agent in the Japanese market, Palatella sourced stocks from Old Commonwealth distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY., before transitioning to also bottling sourced stocks from Even Kulsveen at the KBD (Willett), and other sources when Van Winkle started producing whiskey in partnership with Sazerac. Famed for sourcing amazing older whiskies the brand quickly gained popularity in bourbon and rye enthusiast circles. However, as demand for aged stocks of bourbon and rye skyrocketed across the board supplies for VOSN dried up and so for many years the brand lay dormant. Frustrated with being unable to source the ‘magically intense barrels of yore’ in 2015, Palatella purchased a tobacco farm in Bardstown KY and transformed it into a small craft distillery with a visitors centre. Named the Preservation Distillery, Palatella’s dream of bringing back brands such as VOSN and Rare Perfection had become a reality and with production beginning in October of 2017,
You’ve heard about it, read about it, and maybe even been fortunate enough to taste some over the years, but when was the last time you were able to lay your hands on a bottle of Very Olde St Nick Rare Bourbon and Whiskey? A highly peculiar brand, always produced in small lots using odd bottles, OSN is known for bourbons and whiskey of exceptional quality. It has been almost impossible to find any releases of Very Olde St Nick and Olde St Nick products the past few years, and today those highly coveted bottles sell for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, and are traded among those who know fine spirits. Stocks disappear as fast as they are released, scooped up by global bourbon and whiskey fanatics.
Consumers repeatedly ask, What happened to those rare and fabulous, legendary bottles of Very Olde St Nick? Somehow with the shortage of real good bourbon, a brand that was created a very long time ago as a holiday special representing the true flavours and spirit of older American bourbon and whiskey, over a number of decades became a collectible cult brand sought out by bourbon aficionados all over the world!

The Old St Nick legend has taken on a life of its own with the advent of the internet, many claiming inside information, or knowledge about who first developed the product and why, it’s original pedigree, the source of its bourbons, and the story behind the eclectic style. The Very Olde St Nick myth is a reality with a wonderful story…in fact many stories. As many as the infinite miniscule number of releases from this highly prized producer for more than 30 years!!
Good news for bourbon drinkers: Olde St Nick Distillery will officially be part of the new micro craft bourbon operation opening as the First Official Craft Distillery in Nelson County, Ky. If you’re a wine buff, Nelson County is the Napa Valley of the bourbon world with the incredibly charming historic city of Bardstown as its county seat. The distillery’s opening will also be the official first craft operation in the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown. Small, highly selective releases will still be part of the Olde St Nick brand’s culture, as will the production of specialty bourbons, ryes and other grain whiskey
*please allow 7-14 days for delivery on this item
59.6% ABV
75cl