Color: dark amber Nose: cornbread with cinnamon butter. Some wood and ethyl alcohol. (My husband says it smells like nail polish remover.) First sip neat: surprisingly spicy for a wheated bourbon, so it must be pretty young. Dark fruits up front. It’s sweet at first, but almost immediately becomes bitter- a bit like if you were to taste vanilla extract on its own. Walnuts and leather. After letting it sit for a few minutes: some baking spices start to appear. Still bitter. After adding water: the spiciness is toned down, letting the raisins shine. I’m still not getting a lot of sweetness- just bitter, mouth-drying wood notes. Finish: short and spicy. More wood. I chose this primarily because of a recent write-up I read on it, plus the reviews and other tasting notes. It sounded right up my alley. Alas, the bitterness never really went away, and that makes it a less enjoyable experience for me. I think adding a few drops of water makes it the best experience, but this is not one I would reach for. At $80, it’s not really a cocktail bourbon, but that’s probably how I would use it.