Rating: 21/23 N: Wood, corn, sourdough. It's super full. A light caramel like in Buffalo Trace gradually comes out, along with a bit of spices (clove, cinnamon). I think there's a bit of orange to that caramel giving it much of its character. I get a hint of the funky smell that's in Del Maguey Arroqueño (though only a fraction as much smoke). A bit of savoriness that morphs into leather. This gradually grows into a very complex and enjoyable nose. P: Bold with lots of wood mixed with big vanilla and some undercooked caramel. Fruits (cherry and orange) pop in and out at times. This isn't a sweet dram, but it isn't totally dry either. Some of that corn shows through still and so does some sourdough bread. This is an enjoyable one to sit and contemplate. It has that fun complexity of Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8, but definitely tastes older and more mature, albeit also more subtle. Char comes through, but there's more to the wood than just that. Hints of creosote. The cinnamon sweetness and tannic cloves add a bit more complexity and balance. Water brings out more of the caramel, sweetness, and spices. It's fun and maybe a couple of drops would help, but this really works quite well without any. F: Cinnamon and cloves. Some char. It's much drier now. It's a stately, but slightly austere finish. On it's own, I don't love it, but it goes well with everything else, appropriately wrapping up the experience. - Conclusion - I would put this above Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18) and probably above Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve (19) as well. It gets tougher comparing this with Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21), but if I had to choose, I'd take the Old Carter. I think that Elijah Craig B520 (22) is better than this though. Considering all of that, I'm going with a 21 for this. I considered a 20 for a bit and briefly toyed with a 22 until I tried the Elijah Craig B520 side by side with this. A 21 it is. Still, I could imagine going up to a 22 if I ever had another tasting. This is a fantastic bourbon and by far my favorite of the Old Carters I've tried. It might make my top 5 of all time and it certainly makes my top 10. Look, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520 was practically the bargain of the century at $70, so that isn't a great price comparison. Normally, I would pay a lot more for that kind of quality. At $200, I would not feel bad buying a bottle of this. I might even seek it out. Thank you @pkingmartin for sharing this, along with the rest of the Old Carter flight!