Had high expectations for this bottle and I hate to say it but I was a little let down at first. The neck pour was a little off to begin with coming across the palate as flat and then coming in with some burn on the finish. I have revisited this bottle and on the second and third pours it improved a lot with more of the same flavors I found in the small batch just amped up due to the higher proof. You will find fruit on the palate with rye spice and alcohol coming through on the finish. Overall it is a buy at retail and rated 3.75. If bought for over retail or close to secondary (100) this rating goes down a bunch. I luckily bought for MSRP so I will enjoy this bottle for what it is - a up and coming barrel proof offering