Rating: 20/23 N: Sweet and leathery for sure. I get sweet cherry, tobacco, spice, a hint of musty wood. The tobacco and wood form a little bit of creosote. There's something a bit dry with a hint of mineral, but it's very mild P: Wowee! This is gunning for Joseph Magnus. I'll be shocked if this wasn't aged in oloroso casks. I get a sort of cognac cherry-and-candied-orange sweetness, but it has a little bit of a watery element to it. It seems light in a little bit of a youthful or perhaps light whiskey way. It causes there to be the kind of light, slightly off caramel. Still, there are big, bold spices with rich tobacco herbaceousness, and tongue-coating leather. It's substantially fruitier with less spice, leather, and creosote-covered wood than Joseph Magnus is. In comparison, there's a hint of sort of malty sweetness here and the complexity is greater. The balance seems a little rougher here, but probably more generally acceptable. As I drink more of this, the complexity builds and I start to forgive that awkward light youthful element. I I start getting some more interesting flavors like sultanas coming out alongside a bit of chocolate and cocoa powder. There's clearly a lot going on here and much of it is very mature. There is some nice spiciness in here, but it is less forceful than in Joseph Magnus. F: The sweetness, leather, spices, and vague cognac fruity sweetness (including some of the lightness) linger. Impressively, the complexity here is still quite good and I occasionally pick out a hint of chocolate or rye spice too. A small waft of tobacco drifts through on occasion as well. - Conclusion - I went from impressed to disappointed to wowed on this one. There are a couple of rough edges that I wish could be sanded off, but Corsair Grainiac has a rough edge too and I still love it. There's this light layer that is a little bit off-putting, but otherwise this is very good! There is clearly a lot of finishing going on here. I'll eat my hat if there isn't oloroso and I would wager that there is something else as well (best guess: cognac). Arguably, this is over-finished because the particular finishes stand out, but on the other hand they don't taste bad or unbalanced and they add some tasty, complex flavors. I have no doubt that this is an excellent bourbon. Wild Turkey Rare Breed has similar youthfulness problems and this strikes me as better than that. The rich fullness here really helps this to hold its own against what I presume are higher proof competitors. Since this is better than Wild Turkey Rare Breed, it is a 19 at worst. This won't be a 23 because it has those aforementioned problems. Oddly, although Joseph Magnus is similar in style, it's so much stronger that the comparison is difficult. Corsair Grainiac is lighter, but has a deliberate flavor to it that makes it feel more refined. Although the complexity here is great, the Corsair does manage to beat it. Corsair also manages to compete on fullness. I have to conclude that the Corsair is better. I have the Corsair in the 21 to 22 range, so this can't be more than a 21. With all of that considered. I think that this is realistically a 19 or 20. It's a really tough call, but I think I will land on a 20 here. If I were to go anywhere from here, I think I would go down. I can definitely see this being a 19 and maybe even an 18. I don't think I would go below that. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go up to a 21 either. This is a heck of a good bourbon. I had no idea what to expect going in, but I'm thrilled to have gotten to try this. Why aren't there more like this? Thanks @pkingmartin for providing me with a sample!