Clyde May's 6 Year Special Reserve Straight Bourbon

Not to be confused with Clyde May’s Alabama style whiskey which has apple flavoring added to it. I’ll also mention i picked this up on sale for 30 bucks which is a steal for this bourbon. So we have here a 6 year old MGP bourbon at 110 proof. I saw some bad reviews of the 5 year bottling which gave me pause, but I am a big fan of MGP and took the chance. Nose - Apple, butterscotch, vanilla, oak Taste - similar to nose Finish - falls flat here Overall not bad. Probably not as good as the MGP single barrels of similar age I have tried, but at 6 yrs it has decent age, good flavor profile and good proof point. For the price I paid it is a great value. I think there is a little more apple on the flavor profile than standard MGP of this age which make me wonder if Clyde May is selecting MGP barrels with this flavor to complement their flavored whiskey.

A lot of heat, but smooth finish.

Rating: 18/23 N: Kind of tart and dry, with some sweet, spiced apple (like apple pie filling) coming in in the background. This really is not at all a full nose though and I am getting a touch of alcohol. There is also the faintest very tart tropical fruit note. Hints of buttered cornbread. In spite of all of the nice descriptors here, this is actually a very dry, tart, and thin nose. It's not enjoyable. P: Nice rich spices come out, leading into wood grain and a bit of woody bitterness. Some bitter herb notes as well, but also rich, sweet apples. A hint of slightly buttery cornbread richness. Overall, a rich and decadent palate, but not that interesting or tasty. Eventually, I get a substantial vanilla profile. F: The rich fullness and spice linger. Spicy, with rich, full wood that has some sweetnes in its core. Maybe a touch of vanilla, but certainly not that apple from the palate. - Conclusion - This is pretty easy to sip, but I'm not all that impressed by it. Early Settler (10/23) has a similar amount of complexity, though it's lighter and sweeter. This is certainly more complex and is definitely better. Russell's Reserve 10 (16/23) is similarly complex, but more thin and bitter. I think that this is the clear winner. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is a bit bolded, but is much spicier with less immediate complexity. I'm finding this to be competitive with Russell's Reserve Single Barrel and Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered, so I'm thinking that this is an 18. Honestly, this is much better than I expected. THank you @soonershrink for the sample!