Nose: Butterscotch rolls with cinnamon sugar, toasted almonds, caramel sauce, vanilla essence and musky oak. Palate: Woody and caramel on the arrival. Vanilla, leather, and rye-derived baking spices appear in the development (cinnamon, nutmeg, caraway, fennel) and dried cherries and almonds emerge later. The texture is chewy with an interesting balance between tannin and oil, but it is not bitter and has good weight. Finish: Medium/short. Spicy/sweet woody notes, a little gripping but not astringent or hot. I enjoyed this bourbon a good deal more than I had expected. It has complexity and progresses through waves of development and does not show an overemphasized woody character. On the contrary, it is more refined and subtle than the WR Double Oaked expression. If anything it seems more like an amplified version of the introductory level Reserve Bourbon. Very pleasant, good when neat and it also takes water well, developing a little more sweetness. This is probably my favourite of the distillery’s 90.4 proof expressions. It is not ordinarily available in Australia and was provided as a special tasting at the Whisky Show. Tasted at the Sydney Whisky Show, 15 May 2021, my tasting #15 “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)