Very Olde St. Nick 18 Year at 94 proof is a reduced-strength version of the label's 18-year-old Kentucky bourbon, made for the Japanese market. Bringing it down to 94 proof gives a softer, rounder drink than the barrel-strength 18.
About This Bourbon
The Japanese market saw an 18 Year "Rare and Antique" at 94 proof (47% ABV) alongside the barrel-strength version, one lot of it sealed in red wax. The whiskey was brought down to strength with water before bottling. At 18 years and under 100 proof, the oak is a clear presence but does not dominate.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla pod, seasoned oak, dried apricot and soft leather.
- Palate: Round and mellow, with toffee, brown sugar, orange peel and gentle baking spice.
- Finish: Medium-long and dry, fading on oak, caramel and a hint of tobacco.
Serving & Food
Best neat, slightly below room temperature, in a tulip glass. It drinks easily without water at this strength. Try it with roast duck, a slice of walnut cake, or hard cheeses such as aged Comté.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers who want an old, softly spoken bourbon they can enjoy without adding water, and anyone comparing the two strengths of the 18 Year.
Product Details
Producer: Very Olde St. Nick
Style: Kentucky bourbon whiskey
Age: 18 years old
Proof: 94
ABV: 47%
Market: Japanese export bottling
Volume: 750mL
Origin: USA
Region: Kentucky
About the Distillery
The first bottles of Very Olde St. Nick were filled by Julian Van Winkle III, grandson of Pappy Van Winkle, at his Old Commonwealth bottling site in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, in the late 1980s. Brand founder Marci Palatella had been his sales agent in Japan, so the arrangement was a natural one.
Collectors date bottles partly by the town printed on the label: those Van Winkle filled say Lawrenceburg, while later ones say Bardstown. On the Van Winkle-era 15 and 25 Year, the age appears in a sans-serif typeface and the wax runs down the neck in drips. When Van Winkle no longer had enough old whiskey to spare, bottling moved elsewhere.
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