I want to just start up with, this is unlike anything else they've done as far as I know in their finished series. Bringing in two kentucky sourced spirits a 7 and 11 year old...we'll references these in code names going forward. The 7 will refereed to as Heaven Hill (no reason as I have no idea where they sourced this from) and the 11 will be code named Turkey (again no reason). Nose - so this bottle has been open about 12 hours but already the hot burn that came upon the neck is gone. There's this earthy sweet element that's really unlike any other spirit I've had. It isn't just the cognac nor is it a unique mash bill or bourbon character. It's sweet and has elements of tobacco and peanut dust. I get candied apple, maybe even a hint of apple cider. I get fall. I get touches of floral elements. And yes I get dry oak, aged in a barn. I'm saying a lot of jim beam notes but with this sweetness that beam never has. That said...it's a bit subdued and lacks any wow factor. Let me tell you, NOTHING like their sherried expression which someone referenced it to. Taste - So I keep going back to this. Unsweet milk chocolate with peanuts and sweet creamy caramel. That sadly sounds a lot better than the glass is. This was likely bottled at 55% due to being a hot and spicy bourbon, they just couldn't leave it any hotter without concerns. There's a lot of spice and some nice fruit elements here. The finish is long enough but it's mostly just dried out oak. Water - for a second I thought we'd changed the world. Water brings forward the sweetness of the cognac and really up front brings in this wonderfully balanced expression...and then the finish. There's bitter oak tannins coming out and the once nice nutty and earthy elements on the back end get muted. A real shame as the upfront note might have saved this. So why the turkey joke vs beam? Well...there's just something about this that keeps reminding me more of drinking that WB Saffle than drinking a knob creek. I can't really put a finger on it. So I paid 175, I see online it was supposed to retail for 125 which is odd given the store I got this from doesn't do marked up prices. Score - now I'm leaving this open to come back and change my mind but I'm at a 2.0 for now. I'm really disappointed with this one. Maybe MGP just plays better with finishing but frankly this needed more finish or something. The bottom line is I'd rather spend the night drinking uncut and unfiltered than this. As much as I want to pour another glass to chase down a few missing notes, the enjoyment factor just isn't here. Overall this drinks to me at about that 100 dollar mark. About what you'd pay for Magnus (which anyone else...is that one slipping a bit, maybe less 12 year MGP?) and frankly at 100 it's already pushing my limits for what you're really getting. Sadly those golden days of 12 year old MGP flowing like water seem past us. These 11-15 year expressions from Barton and Beam...and other random one off barrels sneaking out just aren't the same. They lack the blend ability if you will. Poured just a drop of their copper and king sherry bomb - omg...the nose is amazing. Sherry for days with that MGP rye spice and old well aged bourbon notes. Then this artificial kid's strawberry with this funky chewy bourbon and just yummy. Oh no this isn't even close to that one and that wasn't their best finished bourbon.