Rating: 17/23 N: Light and kind of tart. Some woodiness builds, but it's still kind of light. More dusty funk starts coming out of the wood. Some dried granny smith apple chips. P: Wood, spices, somewhat dusty. It's a bit lighter than I might have expected without smelling it first, then a little oil and some sweet, light fruits including plenty of apples, Some light vanilla notes and light caramel sweetness. A little bit of a rye spice character too. It's not as light as I.W. Harper 15, but it isn't as full as George Dickel Bottled In Bond or Resilient 15 Barrel #124. This tastes more complex and mature than Russell's Reserve 10 does, the Russell's is richer, and I don't really consider it to be a very rich whiskey. I get a bit of rye tartness that makes me think of Belle Meade Reserve, but I prefer the Belle Meade. F: Numbing wood spice with some dustiness and some of the fruit overlay with vanilla, but less sweet and tart than it was before. It's lasts a long time and showcases the maturity here. Some papery vanilla goes well into the long finish. - Conclusion - This strikes me as inferior to Resilient Barrel #124 and more in the range of the first release of George Dickel Bottled In Bond, but better than Russell's Reserve 10 and I.W. Harper 15. There's quite a bit of complexity here and it's very good, but it seems kind of like a a fight between the mature bourbon and fruity, tart finishing cask a lot of the time. I'm looking at a 15 to 17. It might push an 18 at moments, but I think I'd generally take Wild Turkey Rare Breed over this. The shame here is that there's some great complexity but the marriage is wanting. I'd love to leave a half-full bottle of this on my shelf for a year or two and see how it develops. My guess is that it would be substantially better at the end. I'm going to go with a 17 right now. This was a really fun one to try and it was darned tasty, but I don't think it's quite hit the mark for me. Thanks @pkingmartin for the sample!