This tastes like a bottled cocktail. It essentially is a bottled cocktail. If you were to approach this expecting an old fashioned made with a silky, balanced, standout bourbon and heavy dashes of orange bitters, I think you’d be pretty pleased. At 110 proof, sipped neat at room temperature, it drinks like a diluted cocktail, which is pretty bonkers and a clear sign of quality distillate and skillful aging. The orange is heavy-handed, but I certainly don’t hate the final experience. It is prominent and trends toward candied orange or a rock & rye, but again: think cocktail. I remember a generally tepid response when this came out. If there was a problem with this release, it was conceptual: while the rabid American whiskey fanbase has come to understand they’ll get something unique from the Parker’s line, they still crave the idea of an exemplary, unadulterated, and authentic whiskey experience. This is an experimental take that is actually pretty nice (to my tastes) but stepped over an informal line for such a highly-anticipated limited release. I can understand why this had a lukewarm reception with many who felt cheated when they finally luck into the rare opportunity to get their hands on a flagship name brand allocated release, only to find that it’s such a departure from their expectations and much harder to brag about to their bourbon buddies (regardless of whether rare bottles are actually a “better” product or not). I enjoy this and it’s likely even worth MSRP (~$90), but don’t begrudge those that feel differently. I think this would have been best as a one-off limited release at $60-$70, but Heaven Hill is certainly doing just fine without my unsolicited advice and it’s possible that consensus has gradually shifted over the past couple years to accept this one as an adventurous but worthy endeavor.