Daniel Davis
Rare Perfection 15 Year Cask Strength Review
Back in 2019, Jordan and Nick both put Rare Perfection 15 Year Cask Strength on their favorites list. I was the odd man out because the whiskey just didn’t click with me. Nick recently reviewed the latest review/rare-perfection-14-year”>Rare Perfection 14 Year and gave it praise once again. With it being almost 5 years since our initial bottle and a whole lot of whiskey later, will this new batch of Rare Perfection 15 Year change my mind?
Nose
Strawberry cream | Orange chocolate | Buttercream | Green tea | Toasted oak | Lovely intensity
Palate
Candied orange | Pear | Creme brulee | Ethanol
Finish
Ethanol | Layers of oak | Vanilla | Pomegranate
Overall
Filled with amazing fruit and sugary notes, it comes undone by its overly sharp finish. Yes it tastes as good as it sounds, but the whiskey’s biggest flaw – and the one I noticed in the 2019 batch I had – is its ethanol creep. The ethanol comes out strong during the finish, but it starts to wiggle its way in during the palate. It, unfortunately, undoes a lot of what makes this whiskey fantastic. It’s much too strong and dominates the whiskey in a detrimental way. The whiskey already has a thin body and adding water brings little benefit to quelling the heat. Like it was in 2019, Rare Perfection 15 Year Cask Strength is a very unique tasting whiskey. Not everyone will be affected by its ethanol like I am, which is why some people find a lot to love with it. I was wondering if revisiting Rare Perfection 15 Year in a new batch would change my opinion of it. While it hasn’t, I can still say much like my fellow comrades said in 2019, there’s nothing else that tastes just like it.
The bottle in review has a designation code of F-YF-3.
Classification: Canadian Whiskey
Company: Preservation Distillery
Distillery: Sourced from an undisclosed Canadian distillery(ies)
Release Date: Ongoing
Proof: 119.7
Age: 15 Years
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Color: Mahogany
MSRP: $170 (2023)
Allet
Wow, much sweeter than I remember and much more intense. The nuttiness of the bourbon is really dialed back here, as there is so much fruitiness taking front and center. The oak is definitely present but in a beautiful supportive manner – or rather the other flavors take over on the front of the pallet and the oak is a key component to the mid and finish (more on that later). There’s an endless amount of complexity here, very chewable – the flavors almost trip over each other.
Finish
Strawberry cream | Orange chocolate | Toasted oak | Buttery cream coffee cake | Vanilla fudge | Brown sugar figs
The dram becomes much less fruity on the finish as initially expected and readies itself for savoring. The intensity is still upwards, accentuating brown sugar and mineral edges, rich tea biscuits, and green tea. Longer sips yield les intensity, ironically, as the vapor becomes too intense to appreciate fully.
This is a phenomenal cognac from Leclapart, a truly exceptional example of 21st-century spirits. But a Bourbon shouldn’t necessarily taste like this.
Very highly recommended, unanimously adored by all. 97 pts
This review makes me curious to try Rare Perfection 15 Year Cask Strength and see if my palate aligns with the author’s or if I fall in the same camp as the initial reviewer. The level of detail and complexity described in the nose, palate, and finish makes this whiskey sound truly exceptional and worth seeking out. I appreciate the honesty and acknowledgement of how personal taste can influence a review, making it even more intriguing to try for myself.
Icaroons red truck ale
This comment is quite intriguing! It’s clear that the author has had a previous interaction with Rare Perfection 15 Year Cask Strength, and is now revisiting it with new expectations and insights. It will be interesting to see if their opinion has changed and if the whiskey will now “click” with them. The description of the nose is also detailed and unique, making this a promising review to read for anyone interested in this particular whiskey.