Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon

I've never had anything from Hillrock in the past so i decided to have myself a pour at a work outing. The aroma had a mix of vanilla, oak, honey, and rye spice. When beginning the tasting process, I immediately got a rye spice and a slight heat kick. In the following sips there was some dried fruit and oak probably from the sherry cask. The finish was dry and on the shorter side. Not too shabby overall.

Easy 4-star

Smooth. Spicy. Vanilla. Caramel. Brief, I know. I was out to dinner yesterday, and the manager recommended this Hillrock. I was immediately impressed. Not sure if I will buy a bottle at the $100+ price point. But if I did, it would be wholly justified. Added 12/25/23: Received a bottle from Santa Claus! Having a pour tonight in the comfort of my own home... From nose to palate, I'm getting "cherries" (as in cherry cough drops), as well as what I am going to identify as "molasses". Slight burn going down. It's sweet, and I remember why I liked it as much as I did back in September.

Medicinal and cherry notes are readily available. It comes in sweet and pleasant then moves into some spice in the middle. It feels like its going to get hot but fades in the nick of time to a nice finish fading back into cherry. Very interesting just not the flavor profile I prefer. Second tasting was slightly better with more oak and traditional bourbon notes.