Rare Perfection 15 Year Old Canadian Whisky
Rare Perfection 15 Year Old Canadian Whisky is a 750mL Canadian whisky bottled at cask strength — listed at 119.7 proof (59.85% ABV) for this bottling, with cask-strength releases varying by batch per the importer — non-chill filtered, distilled from a four-grain bourbon-style mash of corn, wheat, rye and malted barley, aged 15 years in cold storage in Canada, and bottled by Preservation Distillery of Bardstown, Kentucky. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 59.85% (119.7 proof) as listed for this bottling — cask strength, varying by batch per the importer (58–60.5%)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 15 years
- Origin: Distilled and aged in Canada; bottled by Preservation Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
- Mash bill: Four-grain bourbon-style — corn, wheat, rye and malted barley
- Maturation: New charred oak, in a cold single-level Canadian warehouse (brand's account)
- Bottling: Cask strength, non-chill filtered
The Forgotten Barrels of the North
The story, as the brand's retailers tell it: when a Canadian distillery changed hands, the new owners found barrels at the back of the warehouse that nobody had counted — new charred oak filled with a four-grain, bourbon-style whisky, laid down for a short rest and then forgotten, in a single-level warehouse kept extremely cold year-round, where the freeze slowed the wood's work to a crawl. Word reached the Rare Perfection principals through mutual friends; they tasted the casks blind, were impressed, and learned the whisky — Waterloo-distilled, in the brand's account — had been sleeping for 15 years. Preservation Distillery, Marci Palatella's small Bardstown, Kentucky operation (also home to Very Olde St. Nick), now bottles these found casks annually at cask strength. That geography is why this whisky honestly carries two homes: Canada in the making, Kentucky in the bottling. Browse the range on the Preservation Distillery vendor page and in our whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Per Barrel Tap's notes for this bottling: strawberry cream, candied orange, green tea and baking spice on the nose; pear, creme brulee, dark chocolate, light espresso and toasted oak on the palate; and a lingering finish of vanilla, oak and mild warmth. (Retailer note sets for this whisky diverge, so this one set is printed with its attribution rather than merged.)
How to Enjoy
Neat first, then with a few drops of water — at cask strength the water is a dial, not a dilution, and the four-grain sweetness opens as the proof eases. More rare and cask-strength bottles are in our whisky collection and the full range in our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rare Perfection aged in Kentucky?
No — it was distilled and aged in Canada, in a cold single-level warehouse, and then bottled by Preservation Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Kentucky is the bottler's home, not the aging location.
Why is the proof so high?
It is bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, with nothing taken away. This bottling is listed at 119.7 proof (59.85% ABV); the importer notes cask-strength releases vary by batch, roughly 58–60.5% ABV.
What grains are in Rare Perfection 15?
A four-grain bourbon-style mash bill — corn, wheat, rye and malted barley — unusual for Canadian whisky, and part of why the found barrels drew attention.
Fifteen cold years, found at the back of a warehouse — order Rare Perfection 15 Year Old Canadian Whisky online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.