Milliardo
Rare Perfection 14 Year Canadian Whisky
Canadian — Canada
Reviewed
December 8, 2019 (edited November 26, 2020)
EDIT: originally scored 0.25 stars. I have changed my mind, and the newer review states why.
This year for the holidays I’m going to try a brand new whiskey every day in December. #lifegoals
Dec. 8:
Okay. I officially feel duped. Both by shelf placement and direct conversations had with my bourbon dealer, I was led to believe this was bourbon. This whole time on my shelf, I thought this was bourbon. Before doing this review, the only Rare Perfection in this app was tagged as a bourbon. Might’ve been. ‘Tis a different looking bottle. To quote the fair and beautiful Lady Galadriel: they were all of them deceived. On the back, plain as day, to my great horror, is the phrase: “Canadian Whiskey.” How does this shit keep finding ways to my shelf. My hope is that this goes the route of Crown Royal’s super-duper-totes-not-a-bourbon bourbon.
Nose is terrifying. Burnt rubber. Sugar. Eraser shavings.
Body is interesting. I understand where the disgusting nose comes from, but there’s other stuff in there too which is genuinely good. Caramel. Honey. But hot damn that burnt stuff. Still not good.
Finish is peppermint. I don’t mind that. I do mind that every exhale makes me relive that eraser shavings flavor. My kid just told me my breath right now smells like farts. Not great.
This may be the biggest bust of 2019. Even for Canadian Whisky. This product line needs to be eviscerated online so that it can’t inflict its grossness on anyone else. I wouldn’t buy this whisky again for $10, much less $140. It’s basically undrinkable. I will be pouring out this glass and storing this bottle until one of my friends wants to take it off my hands for free.
‘Tis the season. I don’t know if I actually have 23 more new whiskeys lined up, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments.
140.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Milliardo totally understandable, also tastes are super different from palate to palate, so maybe you pick up different notes than I do or in a much stronger way. I definitely get the burnt notes, but they don't deter me as much. I would bet it picks up more burn than a Kentucky bourbon because it's sitting superficially on the inside of the barrel due to the year round colder climate, while a Kentucky whiskey is constantly moving in and out of the staves as a result of the seasonal changes in temp, thus it would pick up more oak and less char from the direct inner coating.
@evankatz Gonna try another pour right now: You mentioned desert, and if I go into it with that expectation, I can get something like a toasted marshmallow flavor, but super burnt. That actually does make it more palatable than my last taste, but that burnt flavor really does still walk the borderline with industrial rubber for me. But sincerely, thank you for leading me in that direction. It factually is more enjoyable than it was a month ago. Still one of my bigger disappointments from last year due to the price, but I think I might have to give this one a redo out of fairness. I think I was having a visceral reaction to a flavor profile that felt unsafe for consumption. But when redefined this way, some other interesting stuff is opening up too. Cheers!
@Milliardo No, this one was the Canadian whiskey as well, but it is a bourbon mash bill to a tee; if it was aged in the US, it would be a bourbon, but it is a Willet/Sazarac distillate pre-pappy break-off. I'm reluctant to hit this price point on non-scotch whiskey, but it is money
@evankatz Did you have the rare perfection bourbon or rare perfection Canadian Whisky? I’ve heard the bourbon is legit, and TBH, that’s what I thought I was purchasing.
I'm not sure if you got a bad bottle or something, but this is one of the best whiskies I've had in recent memory and I drink a lot of whiskey, usually 3 new one's every week. Just had Act 7 of A Midwinter Night's Dram and Bourye from High West along with Weller Full Proof and Makers RC6 and this was my favorite of the bunch and that is some solid competition. This is like dessert; a less edgy version of Angels Envy Rye.
@mcoop8 I’ll admit I was a bit in my feelings that day. More than anything I was pissed at how big of a disappointment it was for the money. Like I said on the 15 year tasting, after dropping $310 on those two bottles, I’d be delighted to have someone explain to me how to enjoy them. While I wouldn’t wish this stuff on anybody, if you do get a taste of it and figure it out, let me know. I’m open to it!
Man that seems harsh. I am going to try to get a bottle so I can confirm that you are out of line. I’ve never seen as negative of a review.