Rating: 22/23 I think I read somewhere that this is only about 2 years old, which makes me highly skeptical. At the same time, I read fantastic reviews of it, so I'm hopeful. I guess I'll just have to see (taste). N: Quite a big nose. I do get some alcohol, but it's more the amount I would expect of a 60+% ABV bourbon, not nearly as much as I would normally expect from a 2 year old bourbon. It's toasty-woody with some subdued corn sweetness. The wood doesn't seem overly tannic. I get sort of a medium roast coffee bringing in roasted, slightly tart, and mild herbal notes. Hints of tart cherry here and there. At a couple points I got a tad of something savory like young alcohol, but that note quickly vanished. Ocassionally I get a bit of a burst of dried fruits (cherry, raisin, sultana, and maybe a couple of others) that reminds me of a grande champagne cognac. This nose started out bold but uncomplex; however, after a few minutes in my glencairn, it has opened up tremendously, developing lots of complexity with some really great smells and even a little more boldness than it started with and at least as much balanced. There's that one, occasional off smell, but it's easy to look past on the nose and I don't expect to taste it on the palate. Coming back a few minutes later, the fruits have become more syrupy, yet they don't seem overly sweet. It's just decadent. P: Rich, full, moderately high viscosity, lots of burn. First it hits me with that cognac fruit layer, but that quickly disappears and I get toastiness for a moment, before it heads into medium roast coffee city. I get char, tartness, a little bit of herbal character. All the while, there is a soft corn sweetness underneath. The tartness turns into a flash of bright cherry and then the cognac fruits come back in. I do occasionally get a hint of that maple that I get from Balcones Single Malt. The early and mid-palate are good, but it's really the late palate heading into the finish where this shines the brightest. Initially, there is a bit of a bite to this. It isn't exactly harsh, but it's a flavor that harsh whiskey often has - just a sharp bitterness with vaguely prickling spice. I do get some alcohol flavor in there, but there are also some flavors of clove and black pepper, along with maybe hints of cinnamon and allspice, helping to explain it. I would hope that if I drained the bottle by a third and left it for several months, this aspect would smooth out a bit. F: A delightfully hedonistic, complex, balanced, and long finish of medium roast coffee bitterness, tartness, and light herbal variation mixed with some decadent dried fruits. Occasionally, the coffee develops a little bit of a dry wood note, but that's infrequent. Some 50% dark chocolate at times even. - Conclusion - I wouldn't have guessed that a barrel this young could be nearly this good, but clearly the folks over at Lost Lantern know better than I do. They absolutely nailed it on this barrel. OK, time to put this side by side with some giants. This isn't quite as full as my cask strength bottle of Garrisson Brothers Single Barrel, but it is much more complex with less woody austerity. Although the Garrisson Brothers has improved substantially over time, it still isn't amazing and isn't at all on the same level as this is. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) starts with a definite alcohol flavor too, but it's less pointed and quickly is enveloped by the oily viscosity. Although just as hedonistic, the Jack Daniel's never achieves the level of complexity that this does, so I have to give this the win. Going cross-category here: El Dorado 21 (21/23). The El Dorado similarly surprised me with its cognac character. The El Dorado is smoother, though not necessarily more balanced or complex. Without getting into the details too much, I think I prefer this. It's not blowing the El Dorado out of the water, but it definitely seems better. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520 (22/23) has more of a traditional sour mash flavor to it while maintaining somewhat similar coffee to this one, plenty more barrel spices, and a bit of chocolate. There really isn't much fruit in the Elijah Craig, but it's similarly balanced and complex. This one kind of spreads its balance wider, taking on more different - and unusual - flavors, whereas the Elijah Craig is more focused on its traditional bourbon profile. It's actually a pretty tough call between the two, but I've finally concluded that as each currently stands the Elijah Craig is a slightly better bourbon. That said, I can imagine that this given several months of air would smooth out enough while maintaining its complexity to crush the Elijah Craig. After all, I did originally give the Elijah Craig an 18 before it got all of that air. I don't know how long this was sitting in an open bottle before being bottled up for me, but I doubt that it was very long. Considering how close this is to the Elijah Craig, I'm going with a 22. I can imagine anything in the 21 to 23 range for this, though I feel like a 23 is more likely than a 21 at this point. Even with the Elijah Craig being slightly better, I have to give this some serious applause. At a mere 2 years, I didn't think that any whiskey could be this rich, full, complex, and balanced. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for sending me a sample of this! It is the best demonstration of the abilities of both Lost Lantern and Balcones that I have yet to find. I'm thoroughly impressed by this bourbon and am delighted to be posting this tasting of it as my 1100th.