Introducing Preservation Distillery

We're excited to release a strong lineup from Preservation Distillery. Preservation is a distillery and brand I've followed for a while. I'm actually a little shocked it's taken us this long to get their products in. But, better late than never!

Starting off is Wattie Boone, a cask-strength, pot-distilled Kentucky bourbon that showcases the rich, full-bodied character pot stills are known for. Preservation is one of the smallest distilleries in Kentucky and the only 100% pot-distilled craft producer in Nelson County, making whiskey in tiny one-to-three-barrel batches. At 7-years-old and 101 proof, fans of the custardy vanilla profile like High Wire's Jimmy Red will be at home here.

The nose leads with vanilla custard and fresh brioche, plump and rich for 101 proof, with raspberry jam and softer toasted oak.

The palate follows much the same, with a decadent, silky vanilla creaminess and the texture as a highlight, while lighter notes of raspberry lemon tart and sweet oak continue through the sips. For me, this drinks similarly to High Wire Jimmy Red Wheated, but a bit softer.

The finish is fresh beignets covered with warm powdered sugar, as a lighter strand of caramel comes out before lightly toasted oak continues on.

Next there's Very Olde St. Nick Immaculata. Very Old St. Nick has always been about old whiskey, interesting barrels and blends that don’t necessarily follow the traditional Kentucky script. This Ancient Cask Immaculata might be one of the more interesting examples yet. It’s a three-barrel blend built from three very different Kentucky bourbons: an almost 9-year-old wheated bourbon pot distilled at Preservation Distillery, a 10-year-old high-rye bourbon, and a 19-year-old Kentucky bourbon. On paper, that’s a pretty wild combination. You have the softer sweetness of a wheated bourbon, the spice and structure of a high-rye mash bill, and nearly two decades of oak and maturity coming from the oldest barrel.

The nose is pocketed with mixed sugars all the way: brown sugar crumbled pie crust, white sugar simple syrup, and even a little flat cream soda concentrate. There’s very little fruitiness, but that makes for a very clean sweetness that harmonizes well with these really pleasing sweet oak notes.

The palate is sweet and candied, juicy and refreshing, creamy and rounded all at the same time. There’s a playful pop of apricot and mixed berry that leads bright and candied before more saturated notes of melon and crisp apple emerge, then transition into this rum-like richness of sugar and sweet, mature oak.

The finish is long and viscous, staying syrupy and almost cola-like if it weren’t so smooth. There’s complementary spice to keep it from getting cloying, with a lovely buttery, spiced oak note continuing on.

Lastly is Rare Perfection, a 10-year high-rye Kentucky bourbon that's already generating early buzz as "Whiskey of the Year" for 2026.  Rare Perfection has always been a fitting name. The idea behind the brand is simple: some barrels are just different. They develop a little better, age a little longer and eventually become something you don’t want to bury inside a larger blend. That was the original philosophy behind Rare Perfection—finding those uncommon casks and giving them a chance to stand on their own. For this release, Preservation went into its Kentucky warehouses and pulled three of its best barrels of Kentucky-distilled high-rye bourbon, each aged for more than 10 years.

The nose leads with sweet oak, browned butter, Mexican hot chocolate, a hint of orange slice candies, and the slightest lingering touch of mint.

The palate is spicy on the front, with mixed baking spices tingling alongside spiced cherry caramels and layered charred oak.

There’s a welcome building heat, but never too much, as it continues with this perfectly rich texture and classic notes of caramel and leather, moving into rye spice, fresh espresso, and a mature oak finish.