Tasted on Christmas Day, 2020 in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Nosing neat - Immediately the first impression I get is an insanely rich, Demerara rum. I’m picking up on absolutely gargantuan amounts of brown sugar, dark rum cake, dates, stewed dark fruits, very sophisticated oak (think like the smell of a woodworkers shop, rather than raw wood), mild cinnamon stick, peach tea and butter. Adding two teaspoons of water . . . This has only amplified the nose, as the ethanol vapors are no longer hindering any smell. Huge tawny port wine smells, cognac and rum. Continues to develop, picked up peach cobbler after 15 minutes or so in the glass. Taste - Neat - Maduro cigar tobacco, old leather, heavy yet refined oak, lots of date. Has a finish that goes on forever. Quite hot at 53.5%. Adding two teaspoons of water . . . Marzipan, German stollen (Holiday rum fruit cake), browned butter and a very distant and raw Granny Smith apple. Final thoughts - I consider myself beyond lucky to have won a drawing to purchase this bottle for under $100.00. I expected to be underwhelmed, because how can something live up to a reputation like a Van Winkle bourbon? Alas, this absolutely does. This goes toe-to-toe with a fine Speyside scotch all day. I kept being reminded of the likes of Macallan 18 when I drank this bourbon and continually found myself dumbfounded that a bourbon could taste and smell this way. It goes without saying that I absolutely recommend this whiskey. Easy 5 stars from me.