Rare Perfection Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Lot #01

Rating: 18/23 N: Musty wood, vanilla, cornbread, limestone, peanut, ginger, orange peel, dark chocolate. A bit of sawdust. Overall, this smells mature and quite tasty, but there's nothing really unique about it. P: The high proof hits immediately, but there's flavor to back it up. The longer it goes on, the more impressed I am by how the flavor lingers. It starts with black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and ginger, then some musty, dusty wood comes in with a mellow sweetness of vanilla, cornbread, and popcorn balls. Faint limestone. This isn't the most complex palate, but it has a nice mix of complexity, balance, and decadence. It shows off its age well, but it also drives home that 12 years for a bourbon really isn't all that impressive. Taking a bigger sip, some caramel mixed with sweet corn comes out, along with a touch of orange. It's a nice decadence. The proof is clearly carrying a lot of the weight of the robust flavor though. Faint wood beam, with some bitterness even. F: Clean, clear, sweet, spicy, vanilla, with mellow cornbread. This is an easy finish, but not one that really stands out. - Conclusion - I'm liking this a lot. It's easy drinking, but is it luxury? No. As much as I like this, it's kind of forgettable. Russell's Reserve 10 (16/23) is more complex, but less full, with more of a flinty minerality. This might taste slightly more mature. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is maybe slightly less full, but it's quite similar. Both are decadent, but this probably tastes a little fuller. They have similar heat. The Russell's is fruitier, but somehow a bit less mature tasting. Overall, I think I prefer this. OK, so this is going to be getting a great rating from me. It's still not amazing, but it's delightful. I'm thinking that a 19 is the most appropriate rating. I wouldn't go below an 18, nor would I go up to a 21. My bottle of Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (19/23) is more challenging than this, but it's more decadent and complex. Honestly, I think that the two of these are similar in quality, so a 19 is quite appropriate. Choosing between these two, I'd give the Balcones the win most likely. Coming back to try this again, I like its mellowness and sweet woody vanilla and spice. This is more approachable, but the Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is more nuanced. They're close in quality, but I'm thinking about dropping this to an 18 or maybe even a 17. Uncle Nearest 1856 (15/23) has a similar level of complexity and mellowness, but has a bit less dusty wood and more alcohol bitterness. This is clearly better, but it isn't blowing me away in comparison. Russell's Reserve 10 is more bitter and odd, but it's more complex. A nicely oxidized bottle of Rabbit Hole Cavehill is lighter with more popcorn ball flavor. It's pretty approachable, but not as full and decadent as this. Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve tastes surprisingly more herbal and mature side by side with this. It's delicious next to this. I might need to go down to a 17. Ending on Blanton's, I appreciate the greater sweetness of the Blanton's, as well as its slightly cleaner profile. It is lighter though, whereas this is more decadent. I think that I have to give the nod to this and end on an 18. I'm glad that Rare Perfection delivered something better than they did with their 14 year old Canadian this time. Thanks @Milliardo for sharing!

Vanilla, oak mild nose; strong barrel spice taste, oak, hint of cherry/anise, long finish. A good drink, but price is too high (otherwise, a higher rating)

More bourbon from what can only be assumed is a group of con-artists, but their con game is strong and it's removed a few bucks from me. So after the god awful over priced st nick 13 and that awful 14 year rye...can rare perfect bourbon change my view of this trash company? Nose - Off the bat there's some pleasant vanilla's and caramels but also on hell of a lot of alcohol. None of the oaky goodness of an ECBP, none of the fruits of a good bartons, no MGP magical rye spices and sweetness, no turkey funk...it's just alcohol and some underlying sweetness. And it's not really that high a proof, they proofed this down (likely a bad decision). It's opening up and giving way to more oak but a very dried and tannic oak, some sweetness is starting to escape. I'm actually somewhat going to old carter batch 5 which smelled nothing of a traditional MGP but this is older and doesn't have any of those light coffee notes. And i'm back to too much alcohol. Corn alcohol is now coming out, a lotta corn. I'm struggling to think of a bourbon to pour next to this to compare it to. Old carter batch 5 it is. OK and there is more richness and sweetness on this. There's more of a lighter chocolate and coffee with some grainy wood while the perfection is deeper sweetness and deep milk chocolate but when you dig deeper and past the sweetness oak and bitter tannins come racing through, biting the nose. Water brings out nutty notes but not say a peanut but more say a chestnut. I can't uncoil this one in my head. Taste - Up front it's that rich sweetness and I'm instantly at full attention for this one. Vanilla and chocolate and caramel. The sweetness gives way for oak, bitter, biting alcohol, and a long very intense but very drying and alcohol forward finish. Water brings out more of the spice but again it isn't try, it's pepper and dang the kentucky hug hit me on this pour. I keep coming back to how much I love the up front sweetness and while I generally like a nice bold finish this one is hitting too hard. The old carter actually does have a similar profile in terms of opening sweet and turning up the spices, but it's much more mellow at first and then spice kick is more pleasant even if I find a lot of flavor notes off putting on the old carter, the start middle and end are actually very well done structurally. There's something so familiar about this whisky, it reminds me of being a new drinker and struggling with the rough edges on cheaper bourbons, but at the same time this has epic levels of sweet bourbon character. Over did the water now to go back and now I'm noticing acidity and almost a battery acid level of it with those spices. I'm starting to pull out the flaws and be more sure of myself that they're here. I'm getting a pretty common bourbon fruity note too but I can't pin point it. Oh you know what, I'm getting flinstone vitamins! I've noticed this on a few kentucky bourbons lately, old medley 12 year!!!! OMG, is this a high proof old medley 12 year? It's not as fruity as that and more tannins and oak but still similar for sure. Overall there's a lot of good stuff here to go with some off notes. There's plenty of complexity. But at the end I feel this was flawed, these weren't special casks, and it falls flat. I'm giving this a 2.5 as the complexity is up there. So 300 bucks...what in the hell? Sorry but this is unacceptable. This has to just stop. If you see more of this stuff from these guys, please just ignore it. This is just scummy marketing through and through from using an old stizel-weller brand name and labeling to their BS pricing.