Rare Perfection 12 Year Old Bourbon Review

Rare Perfection
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
YR 12 OLD
Lot #01
115 Proof
Bottled by Rare Perfection Distillery
Bardstown, KY

So, like all of the Rare Perfection whiskeys from Preservation Distillery, this Rare Perfection 12 Year Old Bourbon is also a mystery. We know it is from Kentucky and is 12 years old. Enigmatically, it doesn’t declare itself a Straight Bourbon, although I guess that is implied by the age. And yes, the wording of the age is a bit different as well: YR 12 OLD.

So from where in Kentucky does this bourbon hail? It has Willett characteristics to me, and I know Rare Perfection has had some relationship with Willett in the past, although it may have just been for bottling. Like all of their bourbons, we can only hypothesize about its lineage, as the folks at Preservation are not very forthcoming with the specifics.

Tasting Notes – Rare Perfection 12 Year Old Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛌 Rested for 15 minutes in a wobbly glass

👉Nose: Molasses sweetness, cedar, Fruit Stripe gum and dark stone fruits, rye spices, vanilla and some butterscotch; moderate alcohol burn, more than expected, but in a good way
👉Taste: Caramel, brown sugar, butter, baking spices, oak & a hint of dark stone fruits
👉Finish: Oak and char become more dominant, but the warmth, mild sweetness and dark stone fruit continue into the long finish. Relatively mild burn.

The nose is dark, rich and warm. Like I am sitting in my study in my well worn leather chair, with the lights dimmed, surrounded by old books, beside a nice fire. Well, it’s as I imagine that might be if I actually had a room like that..🤣 The taste follows nicely with similar flavors and a continued warmth from the proof. The finish adds just the right amount of oak and char for a perfect balance making my palate ready for the next sip. The alcohol is noticeable on the nose, but by the finish, it is surprisingly more subtle.

Summary

Regardless of where this came from, I really like this bourbon. I prefer it over the 14 year and 15 year which were the recent prior releases, although those were both Canadian and this is a bourbon. I am Bourbon Obsessed, after all…. ? Have you had this bourbon or any of the other Rare Perfection releases from Preservation Distillery? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Rare Perfection 12 Year Old Bourbon Review! Want to learn more? Check out our Preservation Distillery Tour Review and our short video about Preservation Distillery. You’ll also want to read about their first house-distilled bourbon in our Preservation Estate Pot Distilled Wheated Bourbon Review!

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!