Burnt brown butter | Crème brûlée | Mint tea | Charred oak | Brown sugar | Faint cinnamon raisin toast | Sugar pie

Spiced raisin | Spiced caramel | Cinnamon stick | Brown sugar crumble | Rye spice | Aged oak | Baking spices

Spiced raisin | Cinnamon spice | Rye spice | Charred oak | Light leather | Faint caramel pie | Building heat lingers

Preservation Distillery is best known for their portfolio of brands, consisting of sourced products, including Pure Antique, Very Olde St. Nick, Wattie Boone & Sons, and Old Man Winter, along with their in-house distilled products, such as Preservation Estate Pot Distilled Wheated Bourbon. Their Rare Perfection line falls in the former category, as it’s a sourced whiskey product that has fluctuated in category over the years. While past releases such as their 14 Year and 15 Year whiskeys were sourced from undisclosed distilleries in Canada, Rare Perfection 10 Year is a Kentucky-sourced product.

The best way to describe Rare Perfection 10 Year Bourbon Vintage 2016’s sip is rich. It starts with a layered aroma that contains a multitude of sweet, interesting scents, including mint tea and sugar pie. The midpoint of the sip revels in spice, while brown sugar crumble and aged oak add a pleasing contrast. The finish continues to highlight spice while adding a dash of aged notes from charred oak and light leather, before riding out a wave of spice that slowly builds and lingers.

Like so many Preservation Distillery releases, information about the bottle's contents is often lacking, which often makes it hard for consumers to justify the price. This is especially true for a 10 year old barrel proof bourbon, which, thanks to the likes of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and other ongoing seasonal releases, can often be found for under $100. That said, Rare Perfection 10 Year Bourbon Vintage 2016 delivers an incredibly rich flavor profile and will greatly please those who decide to purchase a bottle. While I think the lack of information for the price does a disservice to consumers, at the end of the day, there’s no denying this is an excellent bourbon.