Proprietors Reserve ‘Cock of the Walk’ Kentucky Bourbon

Preservation Distillery, located in Bardstown, Kentucky, was founded by industry trailblazer Marci Palatella. She entered the spirits business in the 1980s, a time when bourbon and whiskey had fallen out of favor. Capitalizing on the market downturn, Marci acquired forgotten stocks of old whiskey from wholesalers eager to offload inventory. She launched a distribution company and began exporting these rare finds to Europe and Asia. Her early ventures soon evolved—she started bottling whiskey in repurposed wine bottles and creating her own brands. One of her most iconic creations, Olde St. Nick, gained a devoted following in Japan after its debut in the 1980s.

While she became known for expertly sourcing whiskey, Marci eventually turned to distilling her own. In 2015, construction began on Preservation Distillery. Today, the distillery produces its own pot-distilled whiskey under the Preservation name, while also continuing to release artfully sourced and blended expressions under labels such as Wattie Boone, Olde St. Nick, and Cock of the Walk Bourbon.