Very Olde St. Nick 12 Year Antique Barrel Kentucky Bourbon (Lot 1)

I'm trying a new whiskey daily this December as a holiday activity. My goal for this year's holidays is to sample a different whiskey each day throughout December. This particular bottle, the 12-year, doesn't claim to be sourced from Stitzel-Weller, but the 17-year version does. It's rumored to have been put into a vat decades ago to remove it from barrels, and now it's bottled as a unique piece of bourbon history. For nearly $600 for a 375mL, what evidence would you need to believe you're getting juice crafted by Julian Van Winkle at Stitzel-Weller? Based on the details I've found, I decided it was worth purchasing. This current bottle doesn't break any of the previously mentioned regulations. It's a 12-year product from Kentucky, made and bottled in Bardstown. The aroma is promising, hitting all the right notes: caramel, apples, and honey with a touch of lemon. It's fantastic. The palate leads with honey, followed by caramel and apple. The lemon is more of a general citrus, possibly orange. It's very pleasant. The finish is gentle with low heat and spice. It has a mild oiliness. Some tartness lingers, but it fades quickly, leaving a very slight tingling on the front of the tongue. Setting aside the online debates, this drink is undeniably delicious. It's now among my all-time favorite bourbons. I believe it has the potential to become highly sought-after and difficult to obtain, similar to EHT or RHF, for comparable reasons. If this is indeed being distilled now in Bardstown, the future of this distillery looks very promising. It's the holiday season. I'm unsure if I have 19 more new whiskeys lined up, so if you're reading this and know of something easily accessible you'd like me to try or endure this holiday season, please share in the comments. EDIT: When I first opened this bottle, I preferred drinking whiskey from a rocks glass. By the time I finished it, I preferred it neat in a glencairn. So, just a month later, when I had my last few sips, I didn't enjoy it. I thought I had made a mistake with this one. Then, I suspected it might be an oxidation issue. I poured it into a rocks glass and let it sit for a few minutes. That was the whiskey I had loved. I've never paid such close attention to this before, but wow: letting this open up in a wide-rimmed glass truly enhances it. If you stick to a glencairn or similar, you'll likely be disappointed.

Aroma: Evokes an old wooden barn with hints of cinnamon and gingerbread cookie. Sweet molasses is present. Taste: More oak and gingerbread cookie on the palate. A pleasant, smooth, creamy vanilla softens the spicier notes of the ginger and oak. Finish: That creamy vanilla truly dominates the finish. A nice cherry note also emerges as it evolves, along with a touch of old leather.

Nose: Honey, buttered corn, baking spice. Very subdued but pleasant. Palate: Oily honey, charred brown sugar, and spice at the start, with some apple and perhaps some citrus. The sweetness fades, and a sharp hit of charred oak appears mid-palate. Finish: Barrel char and leather. A long finish. It's surprisingly nice that it's numbing for being 90 proof.

Great flavor. A little burn, but not too much. The warmth stays on the tongue but fades fast on the end.

Smells like a musty wine cellar, with a strong blue cheese flavor (delicious!). A very long, smooth finish with cherrywood notes.

Incredibly smooth. Hints of brown sugar. Some honey.