I’ll take shit I paid $120 for and don’t know much about Alex. Well, I believe it is MGP. How many barrels - I don’t know. How many bottles - I don’t know. What I do know is that I found it after a year of looking for it. The color is an orange-amber. The nose starts with vanilla frosting and then what I remember of the scent of my grandfathers pipe bowl - wood, smoke, tobacco. A little banana, a little cola. A little ethanol. A little anise or caraway. Medium, silky body that rolls in slowly with building but un-intrusive heat. A wave a sweet, woody vanilla rolls across the tongue. The anise anise and caraway are well balanced by rich sweetness and then into the sunset the spice and sweetness rejoin an earthy tobacco. For what it’s worth: 1) this is the initial neck pour, 2) I just downed 4 assorted street tacos, 3) I’m surrounded by the noise of my kids playing and collegiate basketball on TV. Do I like this? Yes, quite a bit. I would take this over many many things. That said, it’s not far from Remus reserve III (also 12y MGP but a few proof lower), Bardstown Discovery 3 (simile proof, $10-20 more), WT rare breed or a Larceny BP (neither MGP and both around $50-60) in my book. This has a bit more earth and vanilla frosting, less in your face spice than Remus or LBP, less powdered sugar than Bardstown and less fruit than Rare Breed. If you are longing for this but can’t find it then you will be happy in the company of those mentioned above. If you have more money or lust for bourbon than you can handle then find this. Cheers all. I’m gonna go peel my kids apart before they murder each other. ————— Visit #2 - that well seasoned pipe on the nose is lovely. Earthy tobacco, wood, perhaps a bit of amaretto. The tobacco and earth forward palate lands with soft heat, bit if dill, wood and then a chalky, tannic finish. So much tobacco. There aren’t as many sweet elements as I would like (thinking the strong vanilla kick of ECBP). Still, well worth the price paid for my likings. I’m a sucker for pipe tobacco and MGP.