This is definitely surprising that I've never properly rated this. In the world of well bourbon, really the only competitors are Jim and Evan. Both standard 80 proof offerings are watery, sweet, and great for mixing, with slightly different flavor nuances between them. For Jim Beam, the "upgraded" version would be the Black edition, whereas ironically, the "white label" is Evan Williams' improved batch. Unless it's been used unknowingly in a cocktail that I've had, it's been years since I've had this bonded, so to revisit it now is somewhat exciting. The age is medium to medium-low for bourbon standards, and the color reflects this somewhat. It's very translucent and closer to mead territory, which I would guess is due to the age and not the proof, since the proof is slightly higher. Knowing this is a moderately high corn mash bill, I'm a bit shocked that the spicy rye is the most noticeable on the nose. The barrel notes (caramel and vanilla) are also present, although lacking somewhat. It's the sweet corn that I actually have to search for, leading me to hope that there is a good focus on the rye and proof here. The initial flavor begins as slightly floral and focused on oak, but the rye quickly starts to seep into the gums. There isn't a lot of rye to begin with, so it doesn't penetrate too far, but the cinnamon and baking spice really paint a picture of quality grains. This is where I would expect the corn to take over and make things sweet, but instead I get a hit of bitterness that most definitely comes from the charcoal filtering (boo). This makes things circle back to the cheek burning rye notes for the finish, while trying not to focus on the dry, tannic central mouth feel of filtered whiskey. As is the most common conclusion with this product, there's a balanced flavor that just so slightly breaks through the ceiling of being a cocktail-only bourbon, but most of what this whiskey is is enjoyable due to the extremely affordable price point. Priced anything above $20 and you'd lose a lot of support, but this is still a great step up from the "black label" without having to shell out 1.5 or 2 times as much like some distilleries demand. The biggest bummer here is the charcoal filtering, but this is pretty easily looked past, again, with a great deal having been scored.