Bottled: March 15, 2021 Batch Number: 50 59.96% abv So, I have been hearing/reading recently about Smoke Wagon. Is it because of marketing, increased distribution or is the word of mouth speaking true to the quality? Can a sourced whiskey be that good? So, I happen into my local shop. I peruse. Do a double-take and see this SW Uncut Unfiltered on the shelf. Mentally justify the expense and thinking about a quote from my favorite urban poet Tyrone Green, I said, “What the heck!” Pours into the glass a color of rusty brown. Light and steady stream of vanilla, brown sugar and dark chocolate on initial nosing. Slowly, beneath the vanilla current, baking spices begin to emerge. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice. More time, more emergent aromas. Tangent from the spices, tropical fruits become noticeable. Pineapples and shaved coconut with chocolate like a Somoa cookie. Earthy qualities eek out after a good thirty minutes. Worn leather gloves with cedar, rubbed and worked in, provides a close to home, warming sensation. Dark chocolate, vanilla extract, black pepper: take those three, mix and blend. A spicy sweetness on first arrival. It crescendos into a spicy cayenne pepper hotness and flavor distinction become blurred and diminished. Not because the flavor vanished, but because the tongue become anesthetized. As you become acclimated, black tea with honey, cherries, apples, caramel with oak and cinnamon provide a potpourri and rides to the finish. A teaspoon of water smoothes the edginess, brings forward more of the brown sugar and vanilla flavors as well as drawing forward more oak tannins. However, water does not drastically alter the core characteristics of the whiskey. A tossup if you want to add water. In the end, it will actually stretch the bottle, and that’s a good thing. Oak, wood char, black pepper, grenadine, tobacco, pickled and ginger fade their way, slowly. The sweetened black tea re-emerges and provides a smidge of earthy sweetness finish. I sampled this over two weeks so I can chew on this one. This is a solid, rich, full bourbon. Balanced well with all the right ingredients. Bountiful nose that you can take in all evening. Palate is sweet and spicy without being overblown. I bought this partially on blind faith and partially on curiosity of the hype. I must say Batch 50 does not disappoint. I would like to compare other batches, but from what I read , this batch was one of the better batches. I will be sure to keep this one in the library. [92/100][$75][Tasted: 4/16/21: 4/23/21]