Town Branch Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon

Liquor Barn barrel pick, barrel #1260, bottle #83 of 206, barreled 10MAY2014 and bottled 03AUG2020. I don't know why I had the urge to buy this, other than it being a barrel pick, and for unknown reasons, I can't seem to resist that. Town Branch's standard bourbon is quite bad, but I remember their rye whiskey actually being decent. With this one not only being a single barrel, but also aged for just over 6 years, this may be enough to bring more excitable flavors to the party. There is a lot of ethanol on the nose, probably right on the line of it being too overpowering. I get some mild caramel scent, and some dark sugar, but I'm not totally convinced that it's brown sugar, if that makes any sense. The taste starts by coating the gums, more so than expected for this proof. I was very fearful when black cherry was given as a tasting note on the bottle, but now that I'm tasting it, I can confirm that there is a dark berry flavor, but thankfuly it does not overwhelm the palate. The oak flavor also persists, but perhaps only as a toasted oak note instead of charred, as I'm not getting any of the typical vanilla or caramel notes anywhere. The finish is very hot, and really hammers home the main flavor that is stewed berries, almost that of a good Pinot Noir. I very much despise bourbons with fruity notes, which is usually a factor seen from younger offerings. However, this 6 year version is aged just long enough to forgive and forget grainy flavors of young bourbons, as the barrel has done sufficient work on mellowing it out, whereas the proof allows you to taste the flavors offered without any hesitation. If, for whatever strange reason, you're looking for a bourbon with fruity notes, but also one that's not boring, this is it.