109.6 proof version On the nose, this is quintessential Makers; caramel, nutmeg, creme brûlée, dark wood, and grape must. Some prickly ethanol pokes through. Palate is rich and decadent, opening with standard vanilla/caramel notes morphing into more “burnt sugars” and charcoal notes in the mid-palate. The caramel is real and smacks of Rolo candy and there are some are some nice toasted bread pudding notes as well, but there’s not a lot of complexity here as most of what presents is of the “rich dessert” variety. Finish is is where things take a downturn with lots of spice in the form of cinnamon, black pepper, oak tannin and (if we are being honest) unattenuated alcohol. It is long, but you might actually want it to end sooner. Mouthfeel is medium when the flavor profile begs for thicker, and I can’t help but wonder if that doesn’t in some way contribute to the overly hot finish. There’s just something about Makers products that rarely gels with me. Anything above their 101 proof release always seems excessively hot for the proof and this is no exception. I should probably cut my losses with them but my curiosity always seems to get the best of me. At $74.99, this is far from a recommend, although I fully acknowledge that in this case it might just be me. Edit: Tasting notes stand, but recently scored this for $60 which means I initially overpaid. $15 reduction in price bumps this up to a 3.75. Adjusting rating and pricing accordingly.