A nose of apple pie, vanilla, pie crust, burnt caramel, and brown sugar. Every so often, a sweet dill note - thanks @Ctrexman for your expert notes - reminds you that, well, you're a grown-up. Let it rest a few minutes - the high proof is evident when you exhale through your nose and into the glass, as the blow back will make you blink. The palate, gosh, how am I going to write this. This is the sweetest barrel proof or cask strength bourbon I've tasted. (The Barrell Dovetail is sweeter, but it's technically not bourbon.) Nut flavors bombard the palate, and fast turn towards caramel and cinnamon sweetness. Then the spice bomb and ethanol prickliness appear, leaving cherry and fruit notes to highlight and assess the previous hit. Taken neat, the high 63% ABV and wood tanins absorb most of the moisture in the mouth, leaving it feeling desicated and rubbery. To say that the heat is there is an understatement - it's totally undeniable. For comparison with the other barrel proof and cask strength bourbons I've had, I've got a feeling that this flies past the Stagg Jr. Batch 13 without question. Noah's Mill and Wild Turkey Rare Breed are fairly middlin' but can't beat this flavor-wise. If this were up against a Booker's ("Sip Awhile").... well, I'm a bit torn. While the Booker's has more balance like every bottle herein named, it rivals this ECBP only after it's been opened up with water. Value wise, I paid a Ben Franklin for what is released as a $50-60 bottle (the simple reality for bourbon drinkers in LA). But I don't regret it. This is the first unfinished bourbon I've given four stars. And I look forward to further ECBP releases.