Tastes

First go: just tons of crushed peanut m&ms on the nose. On the tongue, some caramel, a little bit of green apple, and lots of brown sugar and nutty sweetness. The finish is decently long with more crushed peanut m&ms,m. Lots of dessert deliciousness. Interested to see how it develops over time.

Ups and downs. More ups than downs. Sawdust and green apple rind on the nose, honeycomb and cotton candy on the front and mid tongue with a hint of mint toward the back, and what I would call an above-average finish for its proof/age with more of the same flavor combine, mint as the featured player. Some sips have come with a harsh toothpaste flavor at the conclusion of the palate sliding into the finish. Not entirely as unappealing as it sounds... but also not entirely appealing, either. Overall, the bottle averages to a solid sip, better, I find, than most craft bourbons out there (cough*woodinville*cough -- cough-cough*it’s fine, check it out for yourself*cough-cough-hack), and one I enjoy coming back to on the regular (pro-amateur tip: don’t sip it after a more established bourbon like Eagle Rare). Might try a couple other crafts before coming back to this, but it’s definitely staying firmly in the mental rotation.

Tastes young. Not necessarily a bad thing, but just brings a spike to an otherwise decent, somewhat spicy dram. I’ve read that the barrel proof is exceptional, but it’s hard to imagine this getting significantly better with a higher proof, at least not enough to justify a bottle purchase.

Far better than I expected. A little bit of warm cooking oil rag on the nose, then a lot of toasted pecan and un-tanned leather on the tongue. Cherrywood through the finish, which was decently long. Especially for a craft distiller, this is a serious bottle.

...but still nothing special. Tastes young, less than 4 years. Not bad, but not something to go out of the way for, for sure.

Classic bookers: charred peanut brittle, a little tobacco, a lot of burn when straight, but with a drop of water, some serious molasses and campfire. So good.