375ml Bottle 64.8% proof Barrel 18-8284 Bottled: 11/5/18 Friday night. June. Playoff hockey. Islanders at Tampa. Game 7. Winner advances. A ballsy whiskey is ripe for this scenario. Mets already won game 1 of their double header. Yankees/Red Sox. A busy sports night in New York. Thanks to my buddy in Connecticut who provided me a nice 375ml bottle of this JD. The nose is straight forward and unabashedly vanilla, caramel and brown sugar. Settling in, cola notes rise to the surface (a natural Jack and Coke?). Baking spices, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Peanut brittle, milk chocolate, Big Red chewing gum, black tea and leather. Quite a potpourri of aromas. Immediately the palate is anesthetized on the slightest draw with pins and needles as it begins to numb. Regroup. The palate is acclimated. Ready to go for more. Spicy, dry and sweet. Gingerbread, cinnamon rolls with sugar frosting (think Cinnabon). However the earthy notes keep a good baseline. Leather, tobacco and ginger root. The high proof makes this hot to the touch. But not edgy or sharp. With a good dose of water, the sweetness bubbles up. Caramel, toffee, milk chocolate, like a Heath Bar in liquified form, maple syrup and black tea. A drying, oaky finish that lasts a fair length of time. Orange rind, trace amounts of charcoal and cigar tobacco ride you out. Contrastingly to the diluted sweetness is the earthy finish. This is the not your classic JD. This is a serious and no nonsense JD. Bookers or ECBP serious. Sipping it neat was a challenge in that the heat made you work for the flavors. Watered down made it approachable and is recommended. The contrasting aromas; sweet and earthy flavors provide a bit of everything. What I want out of a whiskey. Balance of earth/spice and sweet. This one meets that criteria. Well crafted. When Jack flexes it muscle, it can produce some quality top shelf whiskey. [92/100][Tasted: 6/25/21]