Rating: 10/23 N: Nectar. Possibly some artificial caramel. Banana, Fuji apple, vanilla. This is actually really fruity. I'm not at all sure I'd guess this was a bourbon based on the nose. P: Oh, but this palate is bourbon. Super fruity bourbon, but there's plenty of wood and a fistful of spice here. I also get some smoky wafts. The spices are white pepper most prominently, then little ginger, clove, and cinnamon. That artificial caramel flavor comes through mixed with banana, vanilla, clover honey, a bit of Fuji apple pokes its head in and out. There's some viscous malty character that makes me think of Old Forester Signature, but younger and less full. Hints of cherry here and there. Maybe I'm getting some banana bread here. F: banana, vanilla, white pepper, a bit of viscous malt, and plenty of minerals. A little artificial caramel, but it's reduced. A totally approachable finish. It's fine. - Conclusion - My overall impression here is that this is quite youthful. There's an interesting character going on here that I'd really like to see developed more, but right now it's too young. I find myself wanting to compare it with the regular Ancient Age and Early Times offerings. I think it's competitive in that group, but that's a fairly low-end set of offerings. I'm thinking that this will be a 10 or 11. It lacks the mature sophistication to compete with something like regular Buffalo Trace. I'm inclined to say that Batch 206's Barrel Raider Irish whiskey is a better product than this is. Both can use substantially more age, but the Irish whiskey is more complex. Unfortunately, this is just too young. I think this is going to be a 10.