After a couple months of tasting lots of new stuff, I decided to open a bottle of a known favorite. It's kinda like visiting an old friend and just enjoying a sip of quality bourbon. I used to really enjoy the old EC 12 year single barrel and found it to be an incredible value. They claim they could not supply enough 12 year product to fit demand so a small batch product (something like 10,000 barrels of 8-12 yo barrels) was created and I liked it but missed the old 12 year stuff. Enter the 11 year store picks. I really like these and I have seen some 13 year picks. At $33, they are hard to beat. This one is from Total Wine and reminds me of the old 12 year if you can remember back that well. Immediately, I am greeted with buttered popcorn and vanilla on the nose. There is a distinct nuttiness. As it opens there is a touch of grassiness and rye spice. While I am typically more influenced by the nose, this bottle excels on the palate. It's got all the great bourbon flavors: vanilla, maple syrup, toffee and that nuttiness, with a bitter oak background and underlying baking spices in a most enjoyable meld. Alcohol is mostly in the background but there is a nominal lip numbing effect. It screams: I am bourbon. Can you taste satisfaction? That's what I get and a nice dry finish that lasts till the next sip.