Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.
The Perfect Fifth, founded by Karl Schoen in 2019, takes inspiration from Schoen’s journey of watching his family members toast milestones with Scotch whisky as he grew up. As an adult, he fell in love with Scotch single-cask bottlings and enjoyed sharing them with others.
As a business, Schoen and his brother Ben, acting as an American independent Scotch whisky bottler, source what they believe is the best whisky from all over Scotland. The brand aims for quality over quantity, which is why all of its releases are limited editions.
What’s in the bottle
The whiskey being reviewed here, The Perfect Fifth Canongate 14-Year-Old American Whiskey, bucks the brand’s trend a bit in that it is a 14-year-old American whiskey sourced from Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky. Originally distilled in 2009 from a corn-dominant mash bill, it spent three years aging in Kentucky before being sent to Scotland to age another 11 years.
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The lineup this expression belongs to, Canongate, in part highlights American expressions that are “born and bottled,” a celebration of “the long history of cask sharing between the US and Scotland.”
“Distillers in the United States, in particular, Kentucky, have always had a harmonious relationship with Scotland, largely due to sending used bourbon barrels to Scotland for a second life, to mature spirits distilled in Scotland. Our Canongate expression, which is our ‘born and bottled’ line, is an ode to that symbiotic relationship,” said Schoen at the time of this whiskey’s release. “This series celebrates the long history of cask sharing between the two countries by selecting single cask whiskies distilled in the U.S., and aging and bottling them in Scotland.
“Our latest release, the Canongate 14-Year-Old American Whiskey is not only well-traveled, but is a unique combination of the environments of Kentucky and Scotland.”
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The Perfect Fifth Canongate 14-Year-Old American Whiskey, bottled at 64.4% ABV, is priced at $175, with only 232 bottles available.
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