For my money The Very Olde St. Nick – 17 yr Ancient Rye had it all and was my favorite of the night, but not everyone felt the same way. Which is good, because if everyone had the same opinion then we’d all be drinking the same thing and whiskey wouldn’t be as exciting and diverse as it is.
Even though we didn’t agree on this being the best of the night, I did echo a similar sentiment to Sku’s and wondered if this came from the same distillery as the rest. Even though all of them had a similar butterscotch note to them, this one and the 18 came across more rye like than the rest and I felt they had more to offer. That could also be the higher proofs (103.7 & 104.6), but there seemed to be an essential difference in the last two when compared to the others.
Very Olde St. Nick – 17 yr Ancient Rye Review
ABV: 51.85%
Age: 17 years
Price: NA – Prices vary due to rarity (Japan export)
Bottler: The Kulsveens
EYE
Dark Caramel with red glints
NOSE
A nice ball of rye spice, wood, caramel and butterscotch rolls up out of the glass and is followed by strings of dark fruit, toasted nuts, dill and a light astringency. There are some wisps of vanilla blending in under these, but all in all a nice rye driven nose.
PALATE
Boom, here comes the rye followed by notes of caramel, butterscotch, wood, dark fruit and toasted / bruleed sugar. Some light baking spices help keep things from getting too sweet with a light astringency adding another dimension to the whiskey. It’s a lovely tasting whiskey and wish I could have gone back for seconds… and thirds.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
A nice balance of sweet, spicy and earthy with a full body and a rich silken texture at it’s full 103.7 proof. A little water gave it more of an oily texture while keeping the full body and great balance.
FINISH
A long ride with some unexpected twists and turns. Caramel, rye, cocoa, wood, citrus and mint.
OVERALL
Blazingly good. This is first one of the VOSNs that if tasted blind I would have easily thought it to be a rye. Being a 100+ proof whiskey I experimented with a bit of water and found that like Mogwais, water turns this whiskey into a different creature. A splash of water brings out more of the rye characteristic while further tempering the sweetness. Spicy, earthy, sweet and all around lovely; It’s the one I want to fly to Japan and buy a bottle of right now.
SCORE: 90-95/100 (range given due to having it at a tasting and not in a controlled environment at home)
