My exploration of the Oak & Eden line and “is the spire a gimmick?” continues… Nose has a light herbal/mint with additional notes of lemongrass and ginger snap cookie. I’d be remiss in not mentioning the color, which is very dark for such a young rye (about two years from what I understand) Palate opens with more caramel and vanilla than expected. Maybe a hint of oak right before the finish but honestly I struggle to get much more out of the palate as a whole. Bizarre. Finish is pretty delightful with fruit cake, chocolate mint, light rye spice, oak, and char but it’s more like the char you’d find on grilled piece of meat than the inside of a barrel. I’ve honestly never had a whiskey with such a boring palate but such an interesting finish. One drawback is it’s shortness. Mouthfeel has a little bit of silk to it which is very welcoming. Body on the lighter side of medium. Overall I kind of enjoyed this but it’s a bit of an outlier; this is in no way a traditional Kentucky rye or 95/5 Indiana rye. At $50 for 90 proof I’d have to say it’s value is no more than “ok”. Don’t see myself buying another, but again starting to believe the whole spire thing might be more science than fiction, as it definitely imparts something unique.