Hooten Young 12 Year American Whiskey (Batch No. 1)

I'll give it a try with a cube but just not overly impressed neat. 99% corn but I'm not getting that normal sweetness in the body that you expect. Almost a dry taste.

One of the most interesting whiskies I've sipped. Nose has strong vanilla notes, initially presenting as a bourbon. Give it a few more whiffs and you'll smell some apples and pears, more like a sherry-aged single malt...which is exactly what you get on the palate. There is a bit of that syrupy bourbon flavor with lots of baking spices at first, but those fade quickly in favor of pears, apple pie, sherry, and butterscotch. Finish doesn't change much from the palate but it lingers a while and is pleasant. Its sophisticated and subtle. Do NOT go into it expecting a bourbon, because it isn't, or expecting an intense barrel-proof palate bomb, because it isn't that either. But as someone who loves both bourbon and scotch, this is an intriguing blend of key characteristics of each - and makes for a very pleasant sip too. Well done.