N: Ripe berries, caramel, brown sugar, spearmint. Leather with citrus oil. Raw tobacco leaf, or at least what I imagine that smells like. Herby with a lean toward basil, but that's cut through and balanced by the sweeter caramel and brown sugar from before. Oak and cinnamon. More leather and unlit cigar tobacco. More berries and red fruit. P: The berries hit first, like the nose. Caramel and vanilla follow. Both are well developed, but the vanilla is particularly nice with a palate filling creaminess. Oak and cinnamon next. Good deal of baking spices. Finish is medium long, spicy and tannic. Spice is cinnamon first, but quickly builds and turns to a chili pepper heat - noticeably hot, never overwhelming, really nice. Lots of oak tannin in the finish, but, again, the bitterness eases in and eases out - there are no sharp edges in this bourbon. I'm not saying anything new here, but this may be the best VFM bourbon on the market. It has the traditional caramel and vanilla notes that you expect (at a minimum) in a value bourbon. But neither of those flavors are presented at minimum here - both are developed and robust with complication, interplay with other flavors, and nuance. Very well done. More interesting, however, is the fruity, berry flavor that leads the way. That is way above the bar for a ~$30 bourbon. This easily drinks like a $60 or maybe even $80 bourbon. This is one to put on repeat.